Les Puces de Paris

In Paris there is no shortage of great shopping. I do not limit myself to only buying hosiery but unique items that one can’t find even in NYC.

Les Puces de Paris, a fantastic Market on the outskirts of the city, has some of the most interesting shopping in Paris. You can find everything from Art Deco Lamps, Vintage Ricard water jugs, vintage hosiery and estate Jewelry. My favorite purchase is by far my leather trench coat. It makes me feel like an undercover super-hero Indiana Jones meets Wonder Woman. However  I think my super hero name would be Stocking Girl, but that might just be too cliché.

I am always on the quest to add to my vintage hosiery collection. As you could imagine, vintage hosiery is hard to come by. Since the nylon used in  hosiery is delicate and disintegrate over time.

The Nylon that is used in modern hosiery was developed during WW 2 when there were storage of silk. The silk was being used for other more important things, like parachutes for the soldiers, which they also replaced with NYLON. The word Nylon is said to come from the combining the names of the founding cities NY for New York and LON for London. Debatable- Some say it came from the scientist combining the words for Rayon and Cotton...

Silk was very limited in the way that it could be used for hosiery. Basics that are still made today are seamed and unseamed fully fashioned stockings. The use of NYLON in weaving techniques have allowed for more intricate designs and lower prices.

My hold-ups today are from Calzedonia a beautiful diamond pattern.

Stocking Around Town-Mabel wearing the same Fab Cream and Damask Tights

Below is my friend Mabel, rocking the Cream and Damask Tights I wrote about in the previous post!

If you have a photo wearing hosiery I have talked about, send it in!

Stand out with these Great Damask and Cream Tights

On most days I consider my hosiery the center piece of my outfit. I first pick my hosiery and then create an outfit around it. With some of my more ornate pairs, this usually means something completely black and basic. So not to take away from the beauty of the hosiery. Today, I went with a complete deco look with a great pair of cream tights, from Anthropologie.

I fell in love with these tights the first time I saw them on line in October of 2010. To me the only problem was that they are white and thick Cotton! Then when I finally got around to seeing them in person I discovered they are more cream and a cotton blend. So I took the plunge and purchased them. After purchasing them they sat in my new purchase bin waiting for the right day to debut!

The tights have a beautiful Damask pattern going up the front and the back of the leg, so it's very important that they remained straight on the leg. Sometimes with cotton blend tights, that are one size fits all that it can be a little difficult. The cream color automatically draws your eye to the tights so keeping my outfit simple, left the tights to make a statement.

A special thanks to Max who took all of these photos!

He is only 3.5 but he already has a great eye!

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.

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

I love these tights-but they are Out of Stock :(

I am unable to post the photo of today's outfit since I don't have anyone (other then Max) to take my photo.  Nathan is in Cairo covering the situation there and Kate is babysitting. Not to say Max isn't a great little photographer, but after a few attempts we mostly got the wall.

So, I decided to post about these fab tights from ModCloth.com- I have been in "love" with these since they first posted them a few months ago. Unfortunately, I didn't grab them up in time. They are a modern twist on the a pair of traditional pair of seamed tights. I really like the contrast of the nude color and the black. I would however change a few things about them-like making them more a 50den with a sheer 20-30den seam. But, that's just me. So until I get the email notification that they are back in stock, I will just have pretend that they are in my collection.