NWMR: Pantyhose & intro

ricekez · March 2014

Hey mamas,
I'm an engineer at a large manufacturing company, and I have a 2.5 yr-old DS and #2 due in April. Got a question for those of you who regularly wear pantyhose. . . Where the heck do you find pantyhose that doesn't bust a run after 2 wears?

I'm just getting to the point in my career where I need to occasionally bust out my skirt suit or dress business-nicely for meet-n-greets with big-wigs, and I'm tired of frantically searching for pantyhose w/o a run and I buy new pairs every other time I wear them. Normally, I can just wear pants, being in an industrial/manufacturing setting, they're often safer, but when I get a chance to break out my suit, I hate having it ruined by pantyhose! Grr, I have a pair with a big old run that I threw on the floor earlier this week. I haven't brought myself to throw them out yet.

jf198400 · March 2014

PrivacyWanted said:
It may vary by region but here no one wears panty hose any more. I'm in court fairly often (I'm an attorney ). I can't recall the last time I saw a woman under 50 wearing them even with a skirt suit.
I wear Sally Hansen air brush legs to even things out

I think this may be b/c you are in S Cal where it's warm. I'm in PA and no one wears pantyhose in the summer, but I'd die if I went out with naked legs in the winter.

TheBorg7of9 · March 2014

I live in Chicago. No one wears panty hose anymore. When it's cold people wear tights though.

groovygrl · March 2014

Tights in the cold if you can but they have to be the right tights for a suit.... I think tights are easier to pair w/ a dress esp if wearing boots. Can you just wear a pants suit if you hate the hose that much?

Kate Middleton wears pantyhose all.the.time, which doesn't mean you should but a lot of people still wear pantyhouse. IMO it also depends on how your legs look bare and how comfortable someone is baring their legs. A lot of ppl tend to wear the lighter color sheer kind now if they're not doing tights. No recs here on brands though sorry.

Patterned pantyhose might be a good choice too if you think they'd fly at your workplace.

Or you could just wear a pantyhose dress & cover all bases.
https://smartladieslovestuff.com/fashion/smart-ladies-love-fashion-best-and-worst-dressed-at-the-2014-golden-globes-after-parties/attachment/2014-golden-globes-after-party-lady-victoria-harvey

I must check out this sally hansen airbrush leg product....is it really good? I feel like I'd end up with super splotchy legs or something.

CarrieB. · March 2014

I work in finance in the Midwest and only one girl I work with wears pantyhose. The rest of us wear tights in the winter. I think that light weight black tights look good with a business suit.

jess9802 · March 2014

I hate pantyhose, but I wear them with a skirt suit. I just can't have bare legs with the most formal business wear. Maybe it's because my legs don't look that great bare, maybe it's because I'm more conservative, I don't know. We were told to wear them on interviews in law school, but I don't know if they still give that advice.

I never found a brand that lasted more than five wears or so, but my priority was finding something that wasn't control top, which I never found flattering and uncomfortable beyond belief, so I sacrificed on quality. Besides, I wear slacks most of the time anyway.

Sept07b2b · March 2014

We are required to wear pantyhose! Yes - that's right, my workplace is straight out of 1950s! I work in the legal department of a conservative company. By pantyhose, I also mean that I am required to wear knee highs when I wear pants, which I actually hate more than I hate pantyhose.

I also have to wear suits every day. I do wear lightweight tights most of the time in the winter because tights last longer and don't run as easily. In the warmer months, I have just accepted that my pantyhose are only going to last a couple of wears, so I actually buy super cheap pantyhose online through the Hanes outlet. I have tried the really expensive kind before, and I haven't been overly impressed. They still run, and then I'm just sadder that I wasted money!

Ugh! I truly think pantyhose should be outlawed, but I guess as long as men have to wear a noose around their neck aka a tie in formal business settings, then maybe pantyhose aren't so bad.

ricekez · March 2014

Well, I'm glad to hear that maybe I can ditch the hose in favor of tights. I'm planning on getting a pant-suit one of these days. One of the worst pieces of advice that I was ever given, by a career adviser in college, was "buy a skirt-suit, they go over better with the conservative companies we work with." Umm, except those companies are mostly in manufacturing and skirts aren't allowed in plants. The same adviser probably also planted the idea in my head that hose was required with suits.

mittensonkittens · March 2014

Wow, that is bad advice. Can you find pants that work with your suit jacket? I'm an engineer in a manufacturing environment, and I don't feel comfortable in skirts at work at all.

On a side note, you might be interested in these cute steel toe shoes I found: https://m.zappos.com/ariat-safety-toe-clog

bcnoelle · March 2014

So I don't have any great advice about where to get long lasting pantyhose (probably get what you pay for sort of thing...department store over a drugstore brand?), but I wanted to chime in that I do like pantyhose...and i live in Florida where it's not a temperature control thing. I wouldn't want the color to be shades off my natural color, but overall I like that they even you out and 'pull you together' a bit. Would much rather wear them over spanx minus the hose. I also think it shows a level of modesty/professionalism and am happy Kate Middleton has been wearing them! I like tights too, just depends on the outfit.

litzo27 · March 2014

I wear pantyhose that are sheer and close to my natural color. I don't have to but I like how smooth and even my legs look in them in some of the dressy pencil skirts Mad Men style. Obviously I don't wear them with casual skirts. I wear Hanes sheer silk something (buy three packs at macys). Not super durable but not the worst either.