New toys!

The sample stockings from VienneMilano showed up in the mail a few days ago. Since if I dragged my feet on doing laundry any longer I'd be tromping up and down the basement stairs in a bathing suit, and I'm going to have to dig around and sort everything I've been taking on shoots anyway, I figured now was a good time to try them out.

Right off the bat, when I took them out of the package, I noticed the lace tops were wide, and much larger around than the stockings. This is good. The bands at the top have to be of sterner stuff than the leg coverings, in order to not roll up or stretch themselves into oblivion when you put them on and start walking around.

The second thing was that the tops were quite firmly stuck together. I had to peel them apart by the edges. Also good. It means they're using silicone strips that are actually molecularly 'tacky' on the surface, and not just rubber cement that's kind of 'grippy'. The fact that I could peel them apart once I got a hold of them also means that they're 'tacky' inherently, and not as an adhesive surface coating. Sticky things work like surgical tape or sock glue and suck like you wouldn't believe; grippy things work by trying to contract to their original dimensions while at the same time, friction tries to prevent them from sliding down your leg. Neither of these do all that great a job, but you can cheat on a model who doesn't move in between catalog photos.

Observe exhibit A:



These are my thighs. More to the point, these are my thighs not being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste in the hands of an angry gorilla. I have no idea what sort of black sorcery went into making these things, but they stay up, they don't pull, and they don't catch or stick to each other when I walk.

A couple of caveats, though: Where exactly the bands want to stick depends on how you're shaped. They do stretch considerably, so if you're tall and very slender you can get them to sit much further up, but if you're all kinds of curvy like me, they sit best at a sort of classic Hollywood height. You will not be able to hide them under a miniskirt -- the bands are classy lace, and they will be plainly visible if your skirt is shorter than standard school uniform length.

And two, the bands stay exactly where you put them. Which means if you don't want them crooked all night, you need to figure out how to see the backs of your thighs when you're adjusting them.

They're pricier than costume stockings, but no more so than a pair of good, durable tights. Care is the same deal as all lightweight hosiery -- hand wash, air dry, etc, etc. They could probably survive a gentle wash cycle in a lingerie bag, but they wouldn't be happy about it, and I personally would not think it wise to test what the dryer does to silicone stay-bands.

If you're interested in the old-fashioned mechanical method of stocking suspension, Vienne also sells garter belts with a new kind of slidy-snap locking clip, which I have not yet gotten a chance to try.

Just as a reminder, it's mah berfday soon. Carry on!

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