Tights from Emilio Cavallini
Some fads never make it from Europe to North America, but trend watchers are betting that men’s tights will overcome the odds. Last week, Victor Fiorillo from Philadelphia magazine waxed poetic about the women’s pantyhose he bought at a drugstore, noting that they’re warmer than long johns and would look good under ripped jeans.
Pantyhose for men, or “mantyhose,” were spotted in Givenchy’s spring-summer 2010 show and are showing up in such on-line stores as We Love Colors (we found an affordable $8 version) and Italian hosiery designer Emilio Cavallini’s on-line boutique (which showcases more expensive pairs).
But who would wear them? Says one store owner, “They’ll be über-chic in the next year, even for hipsters riding their bikes in the winter months.” Ah yes, hipsters.
• Mantyhose: in defense of men’s tights [Philadelphia Magazine]
I say, “Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it.” At the very least, they do make a much better (under) layer than old-fashioned long-johns (ughh). And if you can muster the confidence (unlike the other sheepish commenters above), they are also comfortable with shorts in cool weather.
January 25, 2010 at 10:41 pm | by MikeYou media people are so far behind; this is old news! And what’s more, it didn’t originate in Europe; the first and still biggest supplier of men’s hosiery, ComfiLon (for whom we are pleased to be UK and European distributor) hails from Ohio, and has been in business since 1998! We commenced trading in 2004, and have seen the demand for legwear and associated garments for men explode in that time. Most of our customers are just regular guys, who wear for reasons of comfort, warmth, support etc. In recent times we have also seen a big increase in ladies buying for their menfolk. Also, please note, we do not sell women’s hosiery; all our products are made specifically for men (or in some cases are ‘unisex’) and are NOT repackaged women’s hosiery.
With the exception of Mike’s comment above, the rest of the morons who posted here are just displaying their stunning ignorance and blinkered outlook; I bet none of them have even tried wearing men’s tights, and I suggest they withhold their thoughts until they do so!
I have to say, though; I don’t think many guys would be seen dead (I know I wouldn’t!) in those awful Emilio Cavellini patterned offerings – they’re not exactly masculine! But there are many alternatives available that are designed specifically for men (the EC tights are not; they are ‘unisex’). As Mike says, ‘Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.’
Legwear4Men
PS It is incorrect to refer to men’s tights and legwear as ‘mantyhose’; that was the tradename of a dubious bedroom ‘toy’ which originated in the 1970′s, and is NOT a generic name for men’s legwear.
January 26, 2010 at 7:15 am | by Legwear4MenI have to echo what Legwear4Men said above. Media coverage of men’s legwear is an odd kind of paradox. On the one hand, it is rare to see feature stories on the plain ol’ tights or sheer hosiery the vast majority of guys wearing them actually have on their legs. Yet there’s a high level of coverage of the really splashy-looking tights (ie, the Emilio Cavallini checkered tights shown above) that only a tiny minority of male legwear wearers would wear. Myself, I wear tights/sheer hose for leg support, and wear them with shorts without reservation. Yet, I would never wear the checkered or striped tights in EC’s catalog.
Why the disparity in coverage between what real men are really wearing, and the styles that maybe 1% would be seen in? Maybe partly because plain and ordinary doesn’t sell as news. Maybe because it’s more ‘fun’ to display styles that are much more likely to evoke a good, “ewwwww”, or “ROFLMAO”, etc, etc.
I don’t get too excited over it, though. I’ve been closely involved with publicizing the emerging men’s legwear trend long enough (see my blog, The Nylon Gene, http://www.nylongene.com) that I can see the gradual, and sometimes grudging, increase in overall acceptance of ‘mantyhose’ despite the somewhat negative impact the wild patterns have on public perceptions.
Little by little, people are coming to realize that they aren’t representative of the legwear that makes up the bulk of the market, that there are some very practical reasons for wearing it (as in the Philly Mag article), and guys can wear it without sticking out like a sore thumb.
January 26, 2010 at 10:07 am | by Steve NewmanYea who would wear them? Everyday I wear women’s pantyhose instead, sheer to the waist , tan or black or off black. I don’t like the checkers in mantyhose. I tear a hole in the crotch for coolness and convience so I can do EVERYTHING in pantyhose without haveing to pull them down from my gorgous hips .I think all women and guys should wear them. Any one want to see my pic in panthhose and highrise nylon bodysuit?
January 26, 2010 at 10:25 am | by chris spanksI have legs better than 99% of the girls and love feeling like a girl and dream of having a lesbian experience wearing pantyhose. ilovehose@hotmail.com
… as with all things, men’s legwear has to have it’s bad actors, too. Please don’t let the preceding post color perceptions of all men who wear legwear. The majority are regular guys who wear them for practical, legitimate reasons… not for fetish/cross-dressing. Unfortunately, there are ample numbers that feel a need to post things like this and discredit the rest of us.
If you decide to remove the foregoing post, you may feel free to remove this one of mine also.
January 26, 2010 at 11:30 am | by Steve NewmanI agree 100% with Steve’s comment above. In our years of trading, we have sought to distance ourselves from such shenanigans as the previous poster’s comment as they are not representative of 99% of male hosiery wearers. We find many of our customers baulk at the idea of wearing women’s hosiery, but are quite happy to wear them if they are made for men (aside from the fact that men’s legwear will fit better, be more comfortable and generally last longer on men, than women’s hosiery would, simply because it is designed for men’s dimensions, which are (in case you haven’t noticed) different than women’s dimensions).
When we commenced trading in 2004, we had maybe 3 or 4 manufacturers onboard; now we have eleven, with more waiting in the wings, and we also have a substantial own-brand range too. Five years ago, it was almost impossible to get a hosiery manufacturer to seriously consider producing men’s tights and legwear; now they are queueing up to join, so there must be something in it.
So, if your readers want to stay with their blinkered, ‘Victorian’ attitudes, go right ahead; but I for one, prefer to live in the 21st century!
January 26, 2010 at 11:53 am | by Legwear4MenThanks for the Style article. I agree with Steve and Legwear4men. Most of the guys that I am aware of who wear full length hosiery are straight and even conservative politically. We feel people like Chris Spanks give us all a bad name and image.
Mostly we just happen to share a fondness for the support and/or soft feel of tights and hose on our legs. We wear mostly for practical reasons or just because we like the feel. If you check it out on the internet you will find a great many more like us. Lots of us wear them under long pants and you would never know.
January 26, 2010 at 12:32 pm | by JMooreSomeday though those high fashion ones might be nice to try…
To Michelle_Lucid,
Why ‘ewwww’? OK, so I don’t agree with the use of the term ‘mantyhose’, but men wore tights and hosiery for centuries before women did (dating right back to Roman times, when soldiers wore a form of leggings in colder climates). Don’t men get cold? Or have aching legs? Or want to be comfortable? I don’t understand your strange attitude. Us guys don’t go ‘ewww’ when you girls wear tights, do we? So what’s the difference? You need to take off those blinkers and get into the 21st century.
January 27, 2010 at 9:57 am | by Legwear4MenLiving in Europe, I have to say that while tights are sometimes worn under sports clothing by men, this is not something you are likely ever to see in a non-sporting context in public under shorts, for example. You have the same chance of winning the lottery as ever seeing a man in tights! Men’s tights are also conspicuous by their absence in shops, and where they are sold they are still firmly entrenched as female attire in women’s sizes.
January 27, 2010 at 11:54 am | by NickThat some men for years have quietly put on tights for warmth in the bitter cold is an open secret and fair game for a bit of banter, but there is no way this could be described as a European fashion, and I doubt if that is likely to change in the near future, if ever.
To Nick,
Whilst I agree that this is not a European phenomenon, I have to disagree with your other points; as sales of men’s legwear have sky-rocketed in recent years, and particularly the last 12 months, it is becoming far more likely that you will see men in tights with shorts or whatever. It is true that men’s hosiery is not sold in shops, but that is because Joe Public (for the most part) is unaware that such a thing even exists, so it would be a bit of a gamble to sell over the counter. The web has a much larger ‘catchment area’, so to speak, and customers are much more likely to come looking for a particular product than someone walking around a shopping mall would do. So, your observations are a little out-of-date, particularly as more and more manufacturers come on board; but keep looking – you are bound to see a guy in legwear some time soon! We have thousands of male customers who will testify to that.
January 27, 2010 at 2:49 pm | by Legwear4MenI feel bad that legwear4men and Steve Newman have so far taken most of the burden defending full length hosiery for men. There are tons of men out in the world that wear pantyhose/tights for either their benefits or just because they like the way they feel.
Personally, I wear pantyhose and/or tights nearly everyday. I started because of the pain in my legs and knees. I can’t hike on trails for more than a couple miles unless I’m wearing full support hose. My knees cause me excruciating pain after hiking for just a couple miles–to the point where I need to crawl. After I tried wearing full support hosiery on the next hike, I was able to go the entire route and run to my vehicle afterwards–raced my son.
I really like the feel of the fabric too and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Even if you don’t wear pantyhose/tights just feel them and tell yourself that you don’t like the texture. They are really comfortable. I don’t buy the cheap stuff and my wife completely understands why now. The more expensive hosiery generally fits and feels much better, it is more durable and is a nicer feel to the fabric.
I don’t wear my hosiery with shorts, but I don’t hide my feet and ankles with socks either. I don’t care if someone sees the nylon on my ankles. I know why I wear and I’m fine with that. So is my wife, kids, parents, etc. I know I’m masculine enough that I don’t have to defend myself to strangers making idiotic remarks. I’ll definately tell people how pantyhose and tights have enabled me to live a normal and active life.
I’ll also let people know that many men buy pantyhose and tights for themselves from department stores and dance apparel shops. The sales staff have always been friendly and helpful to me. If they ask if I’m buying for myself I tell them the truth because they are only trying to help. I’ve NEVER had a problem buying from a store. The sales people have told me men come in all the time buying for themselves and not freaks, weirdos or perverts, but normal guys like me.
Anyhow, I’m glad to see more companies enter the market because that will help increase competition and lower the price we pay for our hosiery. Steve Newman (Comfilon), sells a great quality product. His company gives great customer service too. Legwear4men has a great selection on his website and excellent cutomer service for us guys. There are more of us men out there wearing pantyhose and tights for more normal reasons than you can even imagine. It’s not crossdressing. It’s just a different choice of underwear for many reasons.
January 27, 2010 at 6:35 pm | by Mattlegwear4men
I agree sales of tights to men are increasing in Europe, but is it not true that the market is still very small? I could see tights replacing long johns or similar as an extra layer in athletic contexts, and have in the past worn them myself. But as a public fashion statement, I still have my doubts. The reason is that for public wearing, this is still perceived as being too feminine, and meets with resistance from both men and women because of this. It is also true there are many ‘oddballs’ about with a thing about tights which understandably reinforces the resistance to men wearing them. People are suspicious as to why men want to wear them, particularly if visible. And it remains true that men wearing tights is not something you yet actually ever see in Europe, despite claims to the contrary.
I think this will only ever go mainstream if perceptions of it change pretty radically. Possible, but unlikely. In the end, time will tell!
January 28, 2010 at 7:31 am | by Nick…also keep in mind that fashion and societal change is typically more ‘evolutionary’ than ‘revolutionary’–1960s mini skirts and the like, aside. It’s been a big change in public perception just to reach the point we are now, where men are beginning to acknowledge in large numbers that they do in fact wear tights occasionally, under their trousers. It’s taken a number of years to happen, but the default presumption is no longer one of alarm, or deep suspicion.
Also, the prevalence of tights worn outwardly in a sports setting has grown immensely. So, I wouldn’t be so overly optimistic as to predict that we’ll be seeing guys wearing shorts with legwear on every street corner by, say 2012. But I do think that as even the memory of the former stigma slowly fades into the past, we’ll definitely start seeing it with increasing regularity. It generally takes awhile before a style moves from the fringe, to the edges of society, to the ‘realm of the cool’ (hipsters?), and onward to social convention.
January 28, 2010 at 8:21 am | by Steve NewmanNick,
Time has told! Perceptions have changed radically! There is no longer the assumption that if a guy wears tights or similar that he must be gay/gender confused/a cross-dresser (Apologies to any readers who are of the above persuasions; I’m not knocking it, it just isn’t applicable here.) See Steve’s comments above. The increase in uptake of men’s legwear is world-wide, not just in Europe or the US alone. Whilst it is true that more than 50% of our customers are in the UK, the other 50% are spread far and wide, literally, to the ends of the earth. And I don’t think most of them would consider themselves ‘oddballs’!
January 28, 2010 at 9:46 am | by Legwear4MenIt is ironic that several of the self proclaimed ‘normal’ men who wear hose etc. feel the need to distance themselves from the perhaps more obvious male consumers such as cross-dressers. The product is available, in demand and fills a need – it’s that simple. There is no such thing as a more or less appropriate customer.
January 28, 2010 at 10:17 am | by Christel