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Sarah Barns
BLACK tights hide pasty pale skin, slim thighs and help keep your modesty when wearing a bum-skimming mini skirt.
Every woman has at least one pair in her underwear drawer, and they were given the fashion thumbs up after leggy models wore them on the Chanel, Balenciaga and Givenchy autumn/winter catwalks.
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But buying the perfect hosiery can be a challenge - lingerie departments have racks of nylons that all look the same, but are labelled with different denier numbers.
Denier refers to the thickness of the yarns used to knit a pair of tights. The higher the denier, the thicker the fabric.
Deniers lower than 20 are referred to as sheer tights, which are made of fine threads and offer light leg coverage. While, opaque tights begin at 30 denier and mean you won't be able to see as much skin through the fabric.
Here, model Sabine Roll tests black tights to show what the top six denier looks like in real life.
10 denier
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Very thin black tights look elegant with long hemlines - think pretty floral maxi dresses and metallic midi skirts.
But they are much less forgiving on the legs, particularly if you have knobbly knees, and they tend to ladder really easily.
Place tights in a lingerie bag and wash on a cold, gentle cycle with a mild detergent
Don't wash with any clothing that has zippers or clasps as it can snag the fabric
Apply clear nail varnish or hairspray onto ladders to stop them running
Roll your tights up over your legs as you put them on to prevent stretching or ripping
Put moisturiser on your legs and hands before putting on tights to prevent snags
Roll tights and store in your underwear drawer to keep them tidy
60 denier
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It's consider a major fashion faux pas to wear tan shoes with black tights.
When wearing 60 deniers, keep things simple in black heels or an on-trend patent brogue.
Stock up on 60 deniers with seamless waistbands so you never see a visible line under dresses.
Keep your tights hole, snag and ladder-free by washing them inside out, ideally in a wash bag.
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Supersoft Opaque Tights, 60 denier, £4 -
80 denier
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Opaques are the tights of choice in colder weather - as a general rule, the higher the denier the warmer you'll be.
Never tumble-dry your tights or put them on a radiator – the heat will kill the stretch.
The best way to dry them is flat or draped over a clothes horse.
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Supersoft Opaque Tights, 80 denier, £6 -
100 denier
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A must for chilly days. One hundred denier tights are fully opaque and do not let any skin peek through.
If you're going for a heavier denier, the best way to eradicate static is to apply a non-greasy body lotion to the legs, then wet your palms before putting on your tights.
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Control Top Tights, 100 denier, £9.99 -
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When buying tights, you may have noticed each pair has a different number on the packaging. This is the denier and represents the amount of transparency a pair of tights will have, which is directly related to their thickness. The higher the number, the thicker and more opaque the tights.
Denier, also referred to as den, measures the thickness of tights. The lower the denier, the thinner and more sheer the tights will be. Even though we offer tights of the best quality, higher denier and thus more opaque pairs of tights are more durable than more sheer ones.
A 15 denier is a good everyday tight – less likely to run but still sheer enough to see your leg. 20 – 30 denier tights were traditionally support tights to help disguise and relieve your varicose veins. Anything 40+ in denier would be considered opaque, while woollen look tights will probably be 80 denier and above!
The contrast comes from the sheerness of the tights. Meaning, fine tights like 30 deniers will be see-through on the calves and thighs but dense on the thinner areas like ankles. This 30 deniers style is sexy and elegant which would be perfect for social occasions like a party or date night.
In short, yes, 100 denier is warm. Really we recommend 60 denier for the autumn and winter. If you really feel the cold that should suit you for the whole of autumn. If not, then only upgrade to a 60 when it gets truly cold and frosty.
Classified as semi-sheer or semi-opaque, 40 denier tights are taking things up a notch warmth-wise, so they are thicker and more durable than a 20 denier pair of tights but still show just a hint of skin.
During the summer, the lighter the denier the better. This means a lightweight pair of tights. For the summer, an ideal denier would be between eight and 15 for an ultra sheer and barely-there look.
For instance, if you're going for an elegant evening look, sheer tights in the range of 10-20 denier would be a good choice. For a casual daytime look in cooler weather, you might opt for semi-opaque or opaque tights in the range of 40-70 denier.
Ideal for the beginning of autumn, these tights can be the perfect fashion statement accessory to debut your new fall wardrobe. Best worn with dark colour skirts and dresses, these tights offer the perfect combination of comfort and style.
For the heaviest, most rugged and durable applications, there's 1000d cordura nylon fabric and ballistic nylon which boasts a denier of 1680d. This stuff is super strong and heavy, and will withstand everything nature can throw at it.
While it may seem like an unlikely mix — nylons and the season of sun — there's more of a case for wearing tights during the summer than you might think. Our wardrobes feel so simplified, lacking pizzazz during the summer, out of the need to keep cool. But, yearning for fall fashion isn't necessary.
Low Denier hosiery is lighter, less thick and around 5 to 30 denier. Sheer tights and stockings often have lower deniers. The lightest hosiery sheer styles, of under 10 denier, are called ultra sheer and they are especially light, almost invisible.
20 denier tights or pantyhose are still pretty sheer, however they should be still be handled carefully. Jerry B. Denier is the guage which informs how sheer a pantyhose or stockings are. I like 20 denier because they're sheer but not too fragile.
For example, if you have a black dress, then choose a pair of black tights or stockings. This helps them “support” the outfit, rather than take the main stage. There is an exception to this rule, however; if your outfit is darker than the shoes you're wearing, go for nude-colored tights or stockings instead.
Denier is the weight of yarn mass in grams and is measured by weighing 9,000 meters of yarn. Yarn with a higher denier has more mass per unit length than one with a lower denier. Providing two yarns are made of the same kind of material, the higher denier size, the larger the thread or yarn size.
If you're looking to determine weight by denier, take the actual GSM weight, divide it by 85 and multiple by 900. E.g., 75 GSM divided by 85 GSM = 88.235% X 900 denier = 794.115 denier.
It's a unit of density based on the length and weight of a yarn or fiber. A single strand of silk is considered 1 denier. The fibers in a 40-denier nylon fabric have over 6.5 times the diameter of the silk strand, and almost 1.5 times the diameter of fibers in a 20-denier or “20D” nylon fabric.
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