tights ?

[Shay]

Someone asked further up the thread what the definition of tights were, and at least here in America when I'm looking for legwear (and most legwear in this instance is made for women) these are how I divide the terms and how I think most stores/website/etc would rate them.

(I'm assuming in this instance that all of the following go all the way up to the waist, garters and grippy thigh-high stockings are a whole 'nother issue probably not suited to this forum.)

Tights are opaque and generally thick enough to cover any body hair. Think of them as socks that go all the way up for people who need a little more substance in their legwear. Generally, tights are solid colors, but can also be patterned. (My daughter and I both have heavy striped tights for wintertime color) Tights are not usually shiny, and are mostly used for durability, warmth, and covering legs for one reason or another (didn't have time to shave, have birthmarks, want a little more color, etc) when a skirt is worn. Tights are not really meant to replicate a human leg in color or texture or be worn alone, except for the very thick and tailored tights dancers, gymnasts, and other physical performers wear that are closer to leggings but go to the toe.

Leggings, like long johns or bike pants, go down to the ankle. (Bike shorts, obviously, go above the knee somewhere) Their defining characteristic is being basically very close-fitting pants used for warmth or to protect the skin from wind and sun. They may or may not have stirrups at the bottom to keep them from rolling up. They can be made of any material that will cling to the leg without losing a lot of shape. A lot of the bodybuilders at gyms wear them in the wintertime under a pair of shorts.

Pantyhose can either be support hose (like Hamish wore, and are probably closer to dancer's tights than real stockings) that is an almost opaque but the right color, or more usually, the pantyhose hanging over your favorite woman's shower curtain- a sheer covering for the legs that doesn't give you a damn bit of warmth, and basically is there to make your legs look tan and less noticable while wearing a skirt. The color seems to be the defining trait here, but I would seperate support hose and pantyhose into two camps- one has a medical/comfort job, the other is purely cosmetic. However, both are meant to replicate or enhance the leg in color or texture. The better a match one can get to one's natural leg or dress color and sheen, the less detectable it would be.

I just thought if folks had a little more definition from a 'traditional' standpoint it might help- I think a couple people are thinking 'tights' where others are thinking 'pantyhose.'

****end factual stuff****

As a woman, I think I'd rather see a guy in a pair of cream or black colored tights/leggings in a kilt than try to wear pantyhose as I know them except for cases like Hamish's- the former is practical and since I know male physical performers wear them, I don't think of them as a particularly female-only garment. The latter is hard to pull off unnoticably, which is supposed to be the point of pantyhose in the first place- that folks notice your legs, not your pantyhose... but on a man they would probably be extremely glaring due to leg hair being squashed under there.