Sweet Pins

Reviewed by Beccie.

“Today I am reviewing the Pretty Polly Nylons Backseam Tights in black.

First up I want to say how much I like the packaging.  The front illustration has a cute retro/pinup feel that really appeals to me, and the colour they’ve used on the packet is very different from anything else on the market.

The tights themselves are lovely too.  Soft and silky to touch, with a beautiful shape right out of the packet – no nylon tubes here!  And the backseam is stitched beautifully with a clean edge, not fuzzy at all.

According to the size chart on the back, at 5’4” at 63 kilos I’m a small-medium.  One of the things I noticed and liked about the size chart was that it showed suitable hip measurements for the tights.  With a slightly pear-shaped hourglass figure, I often worry about the size of my hips when buying tights (they can be so uncomfortable when they are too tight!), so I found this extra detail reassuring.  

I would definitely say that these tights are true to size – they fit comfortably around my waist, and I don’t have wrinkly knees, so they are a good length (although there is plenty of stretch in them for the taller ladies).

                               

Given that these tights are 10 denier, I was a little worried when I put them on.  I have a bad habit of putting fingernails straight through things of a similar weight. But I needn’t have worried – these tights seem quite strong, as I had to do a bit of tugging here and there to get the backseam straight, and they are still in one piece.

As I put them on there were two things that really stood out to me. One was the size of the Cuban heel, which is perfect in my opinion - not too big and not too small.  This goes for the solid piece on the sole of the foot too.  

Quite often, I find that Cuban heeled tights and stockings have a really large solid piece that actually wraps around the sides of my foot (I have a narrow foot) instead of staying underneath it.  These ones don’t – perfect size for me!  And the other thing, which REALLY made me happy, was that the toes are sheer on top.  I have searched for backseam tights with a sheer toe for longer than I care to mention, so I’m pleased to have finally found a pair!

I think these Pretty Polly’s are a great pair of tights.  They feel soft and silky against my skin, and they aren’t snagging my skirt as I walk.  And for the price, I think they are unbeatable!”

Today I realised how lucky I am with my job. When I first started Sweet Pins as an online based company, I thought I was going to miss social interaction. I love chatting to customers.. or I love chatting in general.

Luckily I was so wrong. Not only I receive enquiries and feedback on a daily basis. But it is also from the most varied type of customers.

You’ll be surprised (or perhaps not) to know that we have a lot of male fans. Some buy for their partners but many buy for themselves.

Most of these glamorous queens are incredibly passionate about lingerie, particularly the vintage inspired type. But for many it is the stockings that holds the dearest place in their heart, genuine fully fashioned nylons in particular. There is just something about sliding that smooth nylon over the legs.. and men often appreciate it more than women do.

No doubt there are many reasons for men to wear stockings. Stockings look great and make you look and feel womanly, irresistible. I must say that a lot of our male customers are real connoisseurs and I have so much fun discussing garter belts and girdles with them!  So I’m wondering.. can men actually give women a run for their money in the leg department?

Fully fashioned stockings, FFS, are becoming increasingly rare – only a handful of manufacturerd worldwide now make them regularly. They are knitted flat and then the two sides are sewn together forming what is the seam– therefore the seam is an integral part of the stocking and not sewn on afterwards as is the case with more modern stockings.

Fully fashioned stockings are sized to the height and shoe size of the wearer and as such have little or no stretch in them as they have no lycra contained within the yarn. In addition to the distinctive seam they also come in a number of heel designs (covered below) and the top of the seam where it meets the welt at the top of the stocking is completed by the welt being turned over and a finishing loop applied. The loop is needed to allow the needle sewing the seam to be withdrawn.

Heel styles vary from the original French (pyramidal) or point heel which was made most famous by the Aristoc Point Heel design to the Cuban and Havana heels – darkened reinforced heel design finishing in a square top rather than pointed top. The Cuban heel is defined by being much thinner and finishing higher up the calf than the Havana heel.

Authentic fully fashioned seam stockings require up to 2 hours of work for a single pair to obtain an exceptional craft finish.