Grey, Purple and Teal Hue Tights

This pair of stripey tights is from HUE. Hue brand tights are the closest an American brand has come to a European style line. Their range focuses on both fashionable trends and basics in everything from a heavy Merino knit, to sheer hold ups, textured tights and even Jeggings. The got their start in a New York City apartment in the late seventies, by dying white tights in a variety of Hue's. So I guess its as simple as that...

Don't worry I haven't forgotten about my promise to wear only purple and grey which these tights are both... I will be posting the round up of my grey and purple week Sunday. 

How awsome are these Wolford Marlene Tights

I recently found these at Tights Please. They are from  Wolford simply named Marlene. Like most Wolford pieces they are ridiculously priced, which doesn't mean I don't want them...It just means I can't buy them as an impulse purchase.

This pair of seamed tights has a nostalgic flare with back seams and a unique detail at the heal of a hand. A twist on the traditional Cuban healed stockings. The hand looks like it has drawn the "seam" down the back of the leg just like my grandmothers used to have to do during the rationing during WW2.

Grey and Purple Madness Part 1

For the last few days I have worn nothing but grey and purple. Not on purpose I swear! I really do own other colors, but sometimes it feels comfortable to be in just one or two colors. Maybe I will be one of those people that only wears certain colors. Which isn't the worse thing in the world is it? There are tons of people who only wear black and no one thinks twice about that being unusual.

Purple is definitely my favorite color, it suits me and I am automatically drawn to it over any other color. If I had to pick a shade it would almost always be a warmish purple like the aubergine shade in the photo below day 1. In the colder months I am drawn to cooler purples like the mauve color in day 2 below.

Day 1

Day 1's grey tights are part of the samples I received from Jleana Calze, an Italian Hosiery manufacturer

that I am hoping to work with on developing my own line. They are the perfect shade of grey, very opaque not sure of the exact denier and have a vertical horizontal design.

Day 2

Day 2's tights are from Hansel from Basel a great little Indie brand that has a very hipster vibe with vintage twists. I really enjoy the color combos and unique look to their range. These tights are a thick knit, are very comfy and super warm. They sort of remind me of a pair of tights I would of worn as a kid. 

I think it would be fun to continue on the trend of the two color look, so I will finish out the week in only grey and purple. Lucky for me I have at least 15 pairs of gray tights and 14 of purple, so stop by for round two of Grey and Purple Madness...

ShaToBu-Calorie Burning Tights

Another brand that I meet with at the Curve NY show was ShaToBu. ShaToBu are Tummy Shaping, Muscle Toning, Calorie Buring Tights- A workout you wear, or so they say. ShaToBu, also make Shapewear and workout wear.

ShaToBu are the latest trend in the quest for the quick fix exercise solution. These revolutionary calorie burning tights have resistance bands sewn into the gluteus and hamstrings portion of the fabric. They claim to burn 12% more calories a day then a person wearing just regular tights. The perfect solution for the upcoming warm weather! I personally have not had the time that I use to have for exercise unless you count me using MAX as a weight or teaching him to learn how to count by counting the crunches I do on the living room floor. So this exercise fad is right up my alley. I will be purchasing a pair of the ShaToBu tights from MyTights.com, one of the best hosiery sites on the WEB!

Who Moved my Birkin: The Curve NY Expo

Who Moved my Birkin: The Curve NY Expo: "I went to the Curve NY Expo today, which is a Lingerie and Hosiery Show at the Javits Center in NYC. On display I found all the amazing..."

The Curve NY Expo

I went to the Curve NY Expo today, which is a Lingerie and Hosiery Show at the Javits Center in NYC. On display I found all the amazing Fall 2011 collections from some of my favorite brands; Pretty Polly/House of Holland, The Dirty Dolls and Gerbe.  All have a unique look and style.

Dirty Dolls is my favorite indie brand! They have an inspired vintage style with a mission of bringing back glamor to your everyday underpinnings! I first discovered them at a Curve NY show a few years ago, when I was first starting on my mission of owning my own lingerie/hosiery store. Since then I have been constantly inspired by there collections and support of my dream. In addition to there lovely selection of Brasseries, garter belts, and panties they are also are working with Secrets in Lace on the Bettie Page Stocking Collection. Which are beautiful fully fashioned %100 Nylon Stocking.

Modeling the Dirty Dolls newest collection is Angie Pontani!

With one of the founders and Creators of Dirty Dolls!

A sample of the Bettie Page Hoisery Collection

Pretty Polly's House of Holland Collection is a twist on an established British Brand. Pretty Polly, is the best know brand in the UK. In the past few years they have made a successful plunge into the US market. Selling at stores like Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters, ModCloth.com and even the tres chic boutique in the Ace Hotel in the Flatiron district, Manhattan.

My favorite pair of Tights from the Spring 2011 House of Holland Collection.

Not only do I love the stars on the legs, I love the star detail on the bum!

A perfect reveal for any aspiring Burlesque Star! 

Pretty Polly Nylon collection is a sophisticated vintage inspired tight, 

complete with back seam and shinny 10 denier... 

Finally, Gerbe a French brand of Hosiery that dates back to 1904. They are by far one of the most prestigious brands.  I have about 12 pairs in my collection, and have mentioned them a few times in the past.  They are one of my favorite French Brands. They always have distinctive patterns and look. They have every sort of hosiery, fashion tights, fully fashioned stockings, leggings, mens tights, socks etc. My favorite part of opening a new pair of Gerbe tights is the little slips that  name all of the people who worked on that pair. I learned today that some pairs have as many as 12 different people working on them at all the different steps of the process. I am particularly excited for their newest collaboration with "Gaspard Yurkievich". This new limited edition collection, will be a beautiful addition to the already modern and cosmopolitan look that Gerbe has provided for years.

All in All the show was a lot of fun, great seeing what will be coming up for the spring and fall seasons and connecting with some great people in the industry. I did however miss seeing a few of my favorite brands. I guess I will have to stumble upon like a normal person on-line or in a store.

I also happen to be wearing a pair of Gerbe Tights, 

I bought in Galeries Lafayette in Paris a few years ago. 

Pauline Cervin Tights and a night of Burlesque!

Cervin Hosiery, are one of the most historic manufacturers of Hosiery in France. They are best know for their fully fashioned Champs Elysees  100% Silk stockings. They have a unique way of giving your leg the look of length, line, sophistication and perfection- And my legs are far from perfect- and this is one of the main reasons I wear hosiery- fake it and flaunt it!

This particular pair, I have been coveting for over 2 years now. They are extremely hard to find here in the States, and when you do find the brand, they are always the Champs Elysees line or Espirt Bicolor- which do not have a pattern. Not to knock those fabulous collections, but I personally love a unique pattern. This pair "Pauline" have a Peacock feather styling which is sheer luxury. I finally got a chance to wear them, last night when Nathan and I went out for a night of Burlesque at Duane Park in lower Manhattan. With the feathering and flattering that comes with these tights, I was tempted, for a moment, to take to the stage!

Seams of Keyholes-Love Me

Today's Hold Ups are from the brand LOVE ME special line Manga. Manga is a special "Japanese" collection with cute Anime Style Pin Ups instead of the normal Pin Up beauties they use on their packages. This brand is from France and are now available on-line (not that I want to give my secret away)....I couldn't believe the amount of compliments that I received on this pair. They are sexy and understated at the same time. A woman on the train this morning asked me wear I bought them, which is so rare for my commute...

I bought them in Galeries Lafayette in Paris last year. The Galeries Lafayette has an entire floor dedicated to hosiery and intimate apparel. Which can seem overwhelming, but not to me.  I just recruited my friend Laura Angela to pick me up a few pairs before she comes to visit in March, since the brand's website is running low.

I have been thinking about Paris a lot recently. We were last there in February of 2010, and I know its been only a year but I really over due for a visit. Not just for the great hosiery and the amazing food but for the great antique markets and beautiful atmosphere! I would move to Paris in a flash, and worry about learning to speak French after. I know the all the words I need to know; collat (hosiery) and cafe!

I paired this amazing find with my new Eileen Fisher top I bought at the sample sale this week at work, my favorite black pencil skirt and my Frye T-Straps.

Follow me on Twitter!!

Hi Everyone, I stumbled upon these fantastic tights on Etsy today and figured I needed them one

and second I needed to make everyone aware of my new Twitter account...

So if you have Twitter and would like to follow me my handle is

CCKINGNYC

Wolford Paloma Tights

No people my tights are not on backwards! They are from Wolford circa 2009. I bought them at Bergdorf Goodman and every time I wear them people feel the need to tell me that they are on the wrong way round . The look is reminiscent of the seamed stockings of the 30s and 40s, however the other way around- A twist on a classic if you like. 


They are not stockings but tights, and the seams are a gorgeous Royal Purple-just in time for the nuptials on the other side of the pond. I prefer pairing them with a simple shift dress to give a retro feel look, with a modern attitude. 

Every time I wear a pair of "seamed" stockings or tights I always think of the movie "Some Like it Hot" one of my all time favorites. Everything you need to know about wearing seamed hosiery can be summed up in one line uttered by Marilyn Monroe's character Sugar Cane "Are my seams straight?"  followed by Jack Lemon's character Daphne quick retort- "I'll Say!"....

...An honest question with a sly riposte...

That movie also also taught me how to walk in high heels

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Valentine's Night out

Valentines Night!

Nathan surprised me with a nice night out for Valentine's Day as well as beautiful flowers.

So I wore another pair from my recent Calzedonia Haul! These are hold ups with a faux garter instead of the normal thick band they give the illusion of a vintage garter belt and garters-very Gil Elvgren...

Also when else can you wear a hot pink crinoline with matching lipstick if not on Valentines Day!
Max is wearing his favorite Dinosaur Pajamas!

My day with Eileen Fisher

Today, I had the great pleasure of making a presentation to Eileen Fisher herself. She is as you would imagine, graceful, collected and completly witty! It was amazing pleasure to meet someone whose company histroy has always inspired me. As I continue on my journey on getting my store from a concept to reality, I will always keep in the back of my mind how Eileen Fisher got her start!

Today's hold-ups are another new pair from my Calzedonia, I paired them with a simple black skirt and black tee. The crinoline is from Anthropologie and adds a little body to my simple skirt.

I also am including a photo of the amazing flowers that Nathan bought me for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentines Day

ModCloth.com posted this beautiful little DYI for Valentines Day.

Enjoy

My Calzedonia Haul!

Last night Nathan got home. After two weeks in all the craziness of Egypt he still found time in his brief stop over in the UK to stop by my favorite store-CALZEDONIA!!

Calzedonia is the Mecca of for any hosiery enthusiast. There collection is always reflective of the styles of the season, for example there spring collection features beautiful floral patterns and strong neutrals. Nathan brought me home 26 pairs of tights, hold ups, leggings, over the knee socks and white jeggings! My spring hosiery collection completed in one visit to Calzedonia not to say I won't be picking up a pair here and there. Calzedoina's are only in Europe, which keeps my legs unique! I have been working on bringing them to the States, but because of some agreement between Calzedonia's parent company and Victoria Secret the women of the USA will have wait until I raise enough money for my store to open. I first visited Calzedonia on a trip to Milan with my sister, ever since then I have visited them in 6 different countries in Europe. There have been seasons were I was unable to get to a Calzedonia in time, they only carry a limited number of pairs in each style at each location. I now have an amazing contact there, so no longer will I have to only admire the beautiful pages of the catalog without being able to make a purchase on this side of the pond!

Since it will most likely take me until spring to get through what I left from my fall purchases, my new collection will have to wait till Spring. There were however a few pairs that Nathan picked up that were from the Fall season so today I am wearing a pair of tights with diamonds in black and grey. They are perfect for a causal Sunday of brunching and grocery shopping. I am wearing them with my denim skirt that I bought at Marks and Spencers and a chunky knit sweater. The boots I bought in Milan on the same trip that I discovered Calzedonia.

Who Moved my Birkin: The difference between Stockings, Hold Ups, Tights...

Who Moved my Birkin: The difference between Stockings, Hold Ups, Tights...: "After posting the poll earlier this week, I have been flooded with questions about what the difference is between Stockings, Hold-Ups, Tight..."

WSJ Article-What your Legs are Saying about You

I stumbled upon this article in the WSJ today on FISHnet which is the Intranet where I work. The article "What Your Legs Say About You"is basically my blog in a nutshell, minus me. The article was totally encouraging packed with a ton of fun facts about what to expect for Spring 11 hosiery and how Fall 11 is going to be HUGE for hosiery. Not that I needed any validation from the fashion industry on this, I love all things hosiery after all. 

"What Your Legs Say About You", also discusses where to wear hosiery, and what is suitable for different types of work environments. I know one of the main reasons I started wearing funky hosiery was because of a dress code I had to wear at work. When I worked for M.A.C we were required to wear all black. So I would wear funky tights etc to jazz up my outfit and it stuck. It became my thing. I felt proud and totally indulged my habit. There was one down side which was also touched on in the article. That some hosiery styles can be labeled as "Gothic". 

I do want to point out a common misconception about hosiery being the "Goth" accessory. I honestly hate that connotation. Hosiery, yes, is worn by all sorts of people, which includes Goth's but it was once also the staple of every woman's wardrobe. I feel it pulls an outfit together that adds a layer of creativity mixed with sophistication. Also, in Europe its totally normal for someone in any sort of profession to wear a great patterned hosiery and just because you like something that happens to be different there is no reason to have to give it a label. 

I found this little matrix fun that was also in the WSJ article "What your Legs say about You"

After all of that, I would like to talk about my outfit and hosiery pick of the day. These are my absolute favorite pair of tights. They are from Wolford, the creme da la creme, at least here in the states since other great brands are not so available. I work in a fairly causal office as far as the fashion industry goes. 

I work at the Creative Center of Eileen Fisher. There we have every sort of style, which is great. You can really just be yourself and not worry about the label. Most people wear Eileen Fisher, but its not required. Eileen Fisher has had a reputation about being only for woman of a certain age, but in recent years they have crossed all barriers at least in my opinion and there current collection has something for the loyal Eileen Fisher client as well as the new Eileen Fisher client. 

These tights were a great find. Wolford has amazing quality, but patterns and styles have not been my taste the last few seasons.  I do however have a few pairs on my wish list, but at $55.00+ a pair 

I will have to wait till the end of the season... 

*as a little tip-you can sometimes find these at places like Tj Maxx. I saw these particualr tights at Bergdorf Goodman and even with my employee discount I had at the time I still had to pass them up.

 I later found them at Tj Maxx for $19.99. Which made it easier to buy them in both colors!*

Favorite Skirt with Sweater Hold Ups!

This is my favorite skirt; I purchased it for my birthday a few years ago from Anthropologie!

It’s a little difficult to pair a funky pattern with a striped skirt. I usually wear my brown fishnets with this outfit, but I think my sister borrowed them, so I decided to go with Hold Ups! Which I prefer but sometimes in the winter they can be a bit drafty. The Hold Ups that I am wearing are a sweater weight and have small vertical dots, a very simple pattern. The Hold Ups are the same color as my shirt, going for the look of creating a body suit affect that I read about at Already Pretty.
Something I have always done anyway, but always a good tip

I purchased these Hold Ups at Calzedonia my favorite hosiery shop in the entire world. They are a nice basic and I wish I had them in other colors. Just heavy enough for the cold winter days.

I just found out that my husband-Nathan, who has been away in Egypt these past few weeks, is making a stop over in London. While he is there he promised to stop at Calzedonia for me and pick up my top picks from the Spring 11 collection. Needless to say I am super excited and can't wait.

Until, then I will have to run through my existing assortment. Which at over 300 pairs will take the rest of the winter and the beginning of next winter. Thats not counting socks and leggings.

Please take a moment to answer the question in this week’s poll

"Stocking Around Town" Ali Casciano

This is the first in the series "Stocking Around Town" were I will take random people I see on the streets of NYC or happen to know and talk about their fabulous hosiery!

This is my cousin Ali. She is wearing a pair of amazing tights from Kohl's Simply Vera Vera Wang Collection. Kohl's is a great place to buy hosiery. They always have a great selection from their various brands in stylish and trendy styles and they also carry a great selection of basics.

Ali has done an amazing job of pairing these patterned tights with a simple dress and cute cropped cardigan! She wore this great outfit for our Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary Brunch which I talked about in my post from Sunday.

Thanks Ali for participating in my Blog and being the first person featured in "Stocking Around Town"!

If you have anyone you would like to recommend for "Stocking Around Town' or if you would like to send me a photo of you wearing your great Hosiery find email me at cristina.cascianoking@gmail.com make sure you tell me where you purchased the find and a little bit about why you chose them!

Printed Black Lace Tights and a little bit about my Grandmothers...

This weekend we celebrated my Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary! Can you imagine being married for 60 years, I will be married for 5 this year and it feels like forever! To change up the topic for tonights post, I would like to talk about my grandmothers.

My grandmothers like everyone their age lived through the Great Depression, World War 2 and also the years of great hosiery wearing. My paternal grandmother (Memom) Jena Rose was a Rockette and my maternal grandmother (Mommom) Genevieve graduated from Pratt in 1949 and was a cook for a television cooking show for Brooklyn Union Gas.

My grandmothers both taught me a lot about hosiery. Mommom taught me always to make sure your seams are straight and how during the war how they would use tea bags to stain their legs and draw a seem up the back with black paint. They both gave me a substantial part of the what is my amazing collection of vintage hosiery and slips. Memom gave me a pair of vintage YSL stockings that I will never be able to wear she is much taller them me and about 10 vintage slips from the 1940's. I always feel incredibly lucky to have had them in my life and for this long.

Today's outfit was simple for special occasion, but the tights are sure fun! They are a gray tight with an all over black lace pattern. These are the sort of tights that have the design printed on them, they are not knitted. I recently bought these at Anthropologie for $4.95. I was going to buy them when they were full price, but then they fell off my radar. I found them in the sale section and was was even willing to pay more for them so the actually price was a nice surprise.

Starting this week I am going do a Bill Cunnigham/Sartorialist type thing and feature someone at random that is rocking some great Hosiery!

New-Gerbe Collant Kilim

These are brand new out of the package! I recently purchased them at the hosiery shop inside Penn Station, I know Penn Station but they are one of the only places in NYC that you can find this brand of hosiery. Gerbe is a French brand and is similar to Wolford. I have 6 pairs of this brand that I bought at Galeries Lafayette in Paris not Penn Station...

These tights are beautiful, the pattern is called Kilim . They have an all over folk art design on a sheer base. I find the pattern both exotic and exciting.

I always get asked how to wear a pattern tight with a patterned skirt. This is a nice example. This skirt looks like a cross between and ink blot and a watercolor, the skirt is from JCrew and no longer available. The structure to the pattern on the tights in a nice compliment to the abstract pattern of the skirt.
By pairing it with a plain top it makes your outfit seem less busy...

I recently came upon this posting at AlreadyPretty.com. I think this a great go to guide for anyone that might be nervous about wearing those great tights that have been hiding in your drawer.

Nathan King reports on the difficulties for foreign press in Cairo

R.I.P Black Tights with cross hatches and dots

Today I am sad to report the tights that I am wearing will never be worn again. I purchased these tights in 2006 in Madrid, Spain. They have definitely had a good run (no pun intended)...

I like to pair them with simple outfits since they have a very delicate design. Today's is a black wrap dress from Banana Republic. I would also like to talk about the importance of slips under dresses in the winter. Not only do they add an extra layer to keep you warm, they also help prevent static cling and make your outfit more office appropriate. The slip is a vintage Vanity Fair from the 1940's. This dress has a very deep V and I am on the modest side so the lace on the top of the slip adds the nice coverage.   I also love adding lace whenever possible. The boots are Frye and also suffered a bit of a causality today and will have to be repaired.