Lace and Strips in Jonathan Aston Angelina Tights

It finally feels like the heat here in NYC is breaking, could we possibly be getting into Fall?  Max has been wearing shorts and I haven't had the chance to really wear any of my new fall tights. Just hope it doesn't get too cold too quickly...

I love these! They are from the Jonathan Aston collection named Angelina. All the tights in this collection have been named for the Hollywood Stars. ie The Kiera Tight and the The Taylor Tight.

The Jonathan Aston Angelina Tights are micro-mesh, with a 20 denier and have a beautiful lace applique look.

A few months ago I bought this lace top at BeBe, I don't shop at BeBe much not really my style. But this particular top felt like a must for my wardrobe. I love the look of it so much that I bought it in off white too!

Then as it sat in my closet, becoming a closet orphan. Then one morning I had an epiphany about how to wear it. Don't just go bold go edgy.

New York Burlesque Festival in Love Me Hold-Ups...coming soon to PeekBrooklyn.com

Greetings from the New York Burlesque Festival!

For the ninth year the finest Pasties and Tassles take the stage for the New York Burlesque Festival, a weekend jam-packed with the glittering stars of New York's Burlesque scene. This year PeekBrooklyn.com is proud to be one of the sponsors....

So in the grand tradition of flaunting my unique hosiery collection, I stepped out in a pair of Burlesque inspired Love Me hold-ups!

Love Me Hold-Ups

This pair of hold-ups are a 60 denier in front and on the back they have faux key holes up the back adorned with a faux belt clasp. Perfect for a Burlesque Festival. My brand new Leopard Print shoes, pinched the way new shoes should but added the flair my all black outfit needed.

The Love Me Brand are one of my favorite brands! I am hoping to carry them at PeekBrooklyn.com  very soon. 

In honor of the New York Burlesque Festival PeekBrooklyn.com is offering Peek is offering a teaser special enter coupon code BURLESQUE at check out! 

In preperation for my trip to the South of France

In preperation for my up coming trip to the South of France I felt it necessary to wear a floral print! The Lavender won't be in bloom this time of year, but this skirt can definitely get you in the mood.

With this look I often go-dare I say it BARE legged...so when I put these white "leggings" on it felt odd at first.  These white capri length leggings are from Nordstrom. They have the feel of lace with a bit of stretch. This is the first time I am wearing them this season, and it won't be my last. They will be be one of the pairs I bring on the trip, Nice Grasse, Aix, Arles I am ready!

Which brings me to my dilemma. I am contemplating what to pack for the trip. I will be bringing some hosiery, the weather will be warmer so it will be mostly for evening. I will also be going shopping for hosiery, and don't want to over pack.

My debate begins with my full leather skirt. I have the skirt below in black, do I bring it or is it too dark?

I plan on pairing it with a lace tee-shirt...so is it too much?

The other item I am on the fence about bringing is this pair of off-white lace shorts...can I pull them off?

Of course I "Cannes"

My first pair of Calzedonia Hold Ups

These are my first pair of Calzedonia Hold-Ups; I bought them when I went to visit my sister when she was doing a study abroad in Italy. Prior to this discovery, I only really wore tights...since "hold-ups" in rich patterns were a little hard to come by.


When I walked in to the Calzedonia, around the corner from the Duomo in Milan- I fell in love... Patterned hosiery lined the walls; interesting trouser socks, hold ups like I had never scene and tights in every color-even if they were in color combinations that I would never dare wear!

That day I purchased around 80euros in hosiery, and still have the entire contents of that purchase. I left wanting more, and begged my sister to take to the other store I had rode past on the trolley- for those of you who know my sister-you can guess how willing she was to do this, Goldenpoint! Where I purchased another 50euros worth of tights, socks and hold-ups which instantly became my new favorite leg wear choice.

After this visit to Italy, I became obsessed with Calzedonia. Searching every European city I would visit from that point on for a Calzedonia boutique. At first it was difficult, then as the years went on, it became increasingly easier.

Each time I enter a Calzedonia Store, I am like a kid in a candy store. Snatching up what ever I can.

My Hold-ups are black with hot pink and green vertical stripes. At the time, they felt like an odd color combination; I was working for Sugar Cosmetics at the time as the Northeast regional Trainer and Manager and the hot pink matched logo, thus my debut into the color ways of Italian Hosiery was born.

Gray and White lace tights

Lace is a popular look this spring, so why should your legs miss out on all the attention  

This pair of tights I bought at Anthropologie a year ago. I also have them in black. 

They are grey with a printed white lace design. They are very eye-catching, hard to miss especially in contrast to a darker skirt. I have been wearing this skirt a lot lately. Its from H&M. 

I have love to wear full circle skirts with cardigan, it makes me feel like I am a fifties housewife. 

The cardigan is from Eileen Fisher. 

I love adding lace whenever possible to an outfit. 

As far as white tights go, I don't particularly care for them although I do personally own opaque white tights, white fishnets and a few white tights that have a crochet type feel. I will try and integrate them into my summer/spring wardrobe. I also have a pair of Cervin white seamed stockings, I wore for my wedding in 2006. . 

I feel white tights are only appropriate for small girls preparing for their first Holy Communion or for ballet or to wear with a school uniform. 

If you do wear white tights, its important to choose the rest of your outfit wisely. To wear all white, could make you look like a nurse. Pairing it with other neutrals can look both modern and sophisticated. In this grim April month, winter white can be the natural transition to a zesty crisper summer white.

This pair of white lace tights have a light floral motif

This pair of Wolford White Tight, have a Cervon design. 

The Royal Wedding- Preparation for THE spring event-Part 1

As I am sure everyone knows, a Royal Wedding is near. Kate Middleton and Prince William are set to tie the knot on April 29th at Westminster Abbey. I personally tied the knot with another lesser known British Prince 5 years ago this September. The Brits have away of making something that seems so romantic both trivial and exciting at the same time. Simultaneously embracing the wedding with endless media hype and lot's of uncomfortable navel gazing

Apparently Kate Middleton will be wearing Aristoc hosiery on the day of her wedding, which is made in Derbyshire England. Good choice for the future Queen of England, keeping the manufacturing in the sceptered Isle. Aristoc is made by the same company that make Pretty Polly, House of Holland and the PP NYLON's collection.

Liberty's is by far the most exciting shop in London-comparable to Barney's and Bendel's. Liberty of London collection for Target was the British invasion of the year 2010. I, like a lot of New Yorkers, flocked to the Pop Up shop last Spring. There floral patterns are right on point for even this spring.

Lucky for me I didn't get bored of them last season. Every-time I go to London, I go to Liberty to check out both the amazing selection of wallpaper and fabrics and of course Hosiery!!

My top is from the Liberty of London collection for Target 2010, and my tights are from a small boutique in East London circa 2006.

My New Black Lace Top and Top Shop Socks!

As the weather begins to change, there are many options for leg wear apart from the usual tights and leggings. 

A fifties inspired trend, now on the rise, makes great use of a under utilized piece of hosiery-the ankle sock.  Ankle socks are not just for the gym , you can find them in jazzy prints, lacy floral and simple fishnets.

  

This trend started emerging in fall 2010, and it has been fun accumulating pairs here and there. This particular pair of grey lace ankle socks are from Top Shop. 

Top Shop has a unique collection of hosiery, very London- Darling! Top Shop carries of the moment trends as well as the staples. They were even voted best place to buy hosiery in NYC by Time Out New York, that will all change once I open up my store....watch this space. 

Stocking Around Town with Lydia Kornegay

One of the best aspects of living in New York City is the sheer variety of the way people dress. You can, in just a few minutes, see someone in a complete hipster look, a high end sartorial stance and even someone dressed in newspapers. You never know who that person sitting next to you on the subway is, what they do during the day and who they can become at night.

Where I am currently working, Eileen Fisher, there is a very casual vibe. I guess that is due in part to the clothes that are designed here.  There are a few exceptions and Lydia Kornegay is one of them. Lydia wears both vintage and vintage inspired pieces with flair and allure. Her hosiery collection is both classic and attention-grabbing. Theses beautiful tights she is wearing have a black floral motif with a gray under color. She purchased these at Daffy's a great place to find of the minute trends in Hoisery!

I love the way her shoes and scarf coordinate!

Nordstrom has the best Hosiery Department!

Nordstrom hands down has the best hosiery section of any department store.  

Nordstrom has everything from the basics; Spanx, HUE, Orablu and both DKNY and Donna Karen . They also carry their own private label that has some of the best textures patterns that are sometimes equally as great as Europe's Calzedonia. 

At the beginning of each season, I dash to my local Nordstrom and scour both their private label brand and the brand names. Their recent rebranding of their private label packaging is both modern and fresh. 

After my recent visit to the King of Prussia Mall Nordstrom PA, I decided to see what they had for spring. I found a pair of floral leggings similar to a pair of tights I got from Calzedonia spring collection. Usually, Nordstrom private label are made in Italy. This time, the pair I naturally assumed were made in Italy were in fact made in China. 

The fact that they are made in China did not stop me from wanting to purchase the whole range. I did buy 4 pairs, 3 pairs made in China and one pair made in Italy. The quality of some hosiery made in China is not nearly what it is if was made in Italy. I don't know if its the choice of yarn, the dying of the yarn or just the machines that the hosiery is knitted on. But this particular pair was identical to the pair made in Europe. 

This particular pair of black lace floral leggings are right on trend for the Spring 2011 season. A mixture of bold florals with a classic lace. Whenever I wear a bolder tight or legging I am inclined to wear a simple outfit. 

Today, I wanted to wear these leggings as tights, so I paired them with boots to hide the legging aspect.

Now we just need spring to arrive so I can wear my new white lace leggings and 

the rest of the amazing Calzedonia haul Nathan bought me!

Black Lace Leggings and How to wear leggings!

Leggings are one of the biggest trends in hosiery. They come in all materials; denim, cotton, spandex and nylon. A variety of color and deniers. You can wear leggings alone, with a tunic and even with skirts and dresses.  This look can be tricky to pull off. Leggings of the correct denier and material look great worn alone without any covering on the BUTT.  However, some styles of Leggings in certain colors and deniers should not be worn alone! They are more like footless tights, not leggings and should not be worn without the BUTT area covered. A good rule of thumb should be- if they look like tights think of them as tights NOT leggings...and wear them accordingly.

In fall 2010 LACE leggings became the trend. You could find them at every price point from the $145.00 Alexander McQueen Koi Lace leggings at Bergdorf Goodman to the $45.00 ELLE Lace Leggings from Kohls. The pair I am wearing below are called "leggings" but since they are totally textured and still thin in the butt area, the footless tights should be worn with a longish tunic type top or under a skirt. Even with my butt covered I still decided that I need a little more coverage, so I decided to wear a pair of black spandex leggings underneath so not to reveal anything to my co-workers or the strange guy on the train...

I'm in Love with these Trasparenze Gillian Hold Ups!

Everyday I see hosiery that I want! If I bought every pair, then I know I would have a problem. Also, I think my collection would start to over run my house. I already can't store the pairs I have. But, these I know I can't live without! Did I mention that my friend Laura Angela just brought me 6 pairs from Paris and Nathan is bringing me home a few pairs from China!!

These Hold-Ups are from Trasparenze a lovely Italian Brand, that makes both funky and sexy hosiery. I first discovered them at Goldenpoint a few years ago. You can find them at My Tights and occasionally at Tj Maxx among other small Lingerie boutiques. These are a great design, not only do I love love love the lace detail going up the back of the leg the front portion is covered in polka dots. So very Italian... These pair will only set you back about $25.00, and are always excellent quality. I have pairs from this brand that have lasted for years.

People sometimes are intimidated by Hold-ups, they worry that the Hold-ups will fall down in the middle of the day. The trick is wetting the rubber portion with a little water. It makes the rubber, (yes its rubber) stick better. Or if that doesn't work you could always for extra protection buy sock garters which are also great if the rubber in a favorite pair of Hold-ups are on there last leg. .

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!

Lace Tights and Tweed

This pair of Tights is from a store called GoldenPoint. Its a chain store in Europe that carries nothing but hosiery in winter and swimwear in the summer. GoldenPoint 


I think these particular pair I think were the brand Omsa. They are the the perfect shade of brown and they are about a 20 or 30 Den so they can be worn into the spring. 


I paired them with my new blouse that my grandmother gave me for Christmas which is from Chadwicks and the perfect pencil skirt from Zara its a dark brown and black tweed with a simple kick pleat in the back. I usually wear Retro (from MAC) lipstick with this outfit, but forgot to reapply before I took this photo.


I have worn these tights with many different outfits, but this one is my favorite!