Are these the best winter tights on the high street?
01:58:00
With a cold winter well and truly on its way, we're looking at ways we can layer up and still look chic all season long.
Cue - black tights. They are a must-have when the temperature drops, allowing you to still wear your favourite skirts and dresses even on the coldest of days.
But, we know that there are a whole lot of issues when it comes to tights. Our pet peeves include ladders, bobbling, holes forming to name just a few.
So, in an effort to find a pair of tights to see us through the winter, we had five testers try out five pairs of black 80 denier tights from our go-to high street stores and supermarkets.
With the help of our bloggers, we came up with a list of questions to put to our panel that would help determine which tights we should be buying this year.
We had our testers try out each pair of tights for one day, answering questions on the comfort, wear and look of the tights. At the end of the day, they hand washed them and noted any changes.
We removed the labels on the tights so our panel didn't know which pair they were trying out! In the mix were F&F at Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, Debenhams and George at Asda.
But, which pair did they love the most? Scroll down to read their thoughts and find out which pair was our panel's favourite...
F&F at Tesco
Tesco 80 Denier Opaque Black Tights 2 Pack, £5
Comfort
Although all five of our testers found the F&F at Tesco tights fit well around the waist, some struggled with wrinkling around the ankles and the gusset of the tights.
One tester said: “They were a bit loose on the toe and the seam fell underneath my foot within 30 minutes of wearing them.”
Another said: “The tights were marginally too long for me and there was extra material that gathered a little at the thigh. It eventually redistributed and wasn't overly noticeable.
"Probably the most comfortable tights I have ever worn!"
She added: "I really like how high-waisted these tights are, they went over my stomach and didn't slip down. I felt well supported”.
Similarly, our fifth tester was a big fan of the F&F tights deeming them, "probably the most comfortable tights I have ever worn!"
Wear
When it came to judging how well the tights wore, we asked our testers if they noticed any laddering, bobbling or holes forming after one day's wear and again after washing. None of our testers noticed any, except one...
After washing she found slight fraying and bobbling around the ankle but believes that could be to do with the shoes she was wearing, she said: "The boots I wore with them were rubbing up against the material so that might be why".
Look
All of our testers found the thickness of the tights matched their expectations for a pair of 80 denier tights. Four of our testers said they would buy again, with one of the panel saying, "I thought they were the best opaque black tights I have ever worn".
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However, another tester said she wouldn't buy them again because they, "felt quite cheap."
Marks & Spencer
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Marks & Spencer 80 Denier Supersoft Tights 2 Pack, £6
Comfort
One of the women on the panel described the Marks & Spencer tights as “perfect” with the rest agreeing they fit comfortably around the waist.
However, despite being a great fit, one of the panel said: “Even though they fit nice elsewhere, they were very big on the toe for me and they wrinkled at the ankle even when they were fully pulled up.”
"They felt quite luxurious, expensive and well made"
She did point out that after washing she found the tights to be less wrinkly around the ankle with no difference in fit elsewhere or comfort.
Similarly, another tester found them to be a little big and said she would go for a smaller size next time.
Wear
When it came to laddering, bobbling and holes in the tights none of our panel found any during wear or after washing them, one of the panel said: "They felt quite luxurious, expensive and well made".
Look
Our testers were really happy with the look of the tights. The thickness of the M&S pair matched their expectations. All of our panel said they would purchase these tights, even the tester who had issues with gathering while wearing the tights.
Primark
PRIMARK
Primark 80 Denier Weather Sensor Finish Opaque Tights 3 pack, £3.50
Comfort
It seems the Primark tights divided our panel...
Three of our testers found the tights fit snugly around the ankle, foot and back of the knee however, one said: “Overall, they weren’t very comfortable because the fit was much smaller than expected and as a result they were super tight on the thigh and the waist.”
Another of our panel commented: “I didn’t like them, they were uncomfortable and almost itchy.”
As for the other two testers, they found the tights loose around the ankle and the back of the knee.
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Four of our five testers found the gusset of the tights dropped throughout the day, with one commenting: "It was very annoying, I couldn't wait to get them off".
Wear
Two of the panel had no issues when it came to laddering, bobbling or holes forming during wear and after washing. But, for the others it was a different story...
One woman said: "They marked really easily while scratching and holes were forming on the thigh area, even more so after washing.
"They had a nice sheen to them"
“They weren’t comfortable for me before washing so it’s no surprise they were uncomfortable after washing. They didn't hold up well, the fit was smaller and they lost some stretch”.
Another added: "I noticed some pulls straight away when I put them on around the knee area and some lines on the thighs like tiger print which really detracts from them as I liked the fit."
One of the panel found the tights to be much shorter after washing, saying, "there was a big difference, I couldn't actually pull them on easily".
Look
Two of our testers were really happy with the look of the Primark tights, with one commenting there was a "nice sheen to them". However, the others were not so keen and found the tights to be much thinner that what they expected. Only one member of the panel said she would buy these tights again.
Debenhams
BUY NOW Debenhams Black 80 Denier Tights 2 Pack, £8.50
Comfort
The majority of our panel were big fans of the Debenhams tights, one even said: “I love them, my legs felt like they were wrapped in warm silk.”
Overall, the women said they fit well, with little or no wrinkling, gathering or dropping.
However, one of the panel felt they were “too snug”, saying, “They are made of very elasticated material and although there was no gathering around the knees there was loads around the thighs.”
“I love them, my legs felt like they were wrapped in warm silk.”
She added: “They were far too long and I had to redistribute the excess material that had gathered around the thighs. However, because of the tightness they do come up well and I felt well supported around the stomach”.
Wear
Laddering on tights is a huge pet peeve for most and one of our testers found the Debenhams tights laddered easily on the thigh.
The rest of the panel didn’t find any ladders, bobbling or holes while wearing them or after washing them.
Look
Our panel said the Debenhams tights were quite shiny and the two who liked that look said they would buy them again.
George at Asda
George at Asda 80 Denier Soft Handle Tights 3 Pack, £5
Comfort
One of our testers had to take off the George at Asda tights half way through the day. She explained: "While they fit well around the foot, ankle and knee and did stay in place they didn’t feel nice and were quite scratchy. I had to take them off as they were irritating my skin.”
Our second tester agreed saying: “They did not have an overly smooth feel, they felt quite acrylic and I was very aware of the toe seam even though they stayed in place and fit elsewhere.”
"They fit snugly and there was no wrinkling around the foot, ankle or knee"
The others liked the fit and found them comfortable around the waist as well as fitting "snugly and there was no wrinkling around the foot, ankle or knee".
Wear
Four of our testers didn’t find any signs of ladders, bobbling or holes during wear with only one finding little pulls across the thighs after washing the tights.
However, one tester found holes in the thighs and ladders starting to appear. She said: “They weren’t quite ladders but marks started to appear where holes would eventually form. Plus, they developed marks easily when rubbing against my boots at the ankle”.
After washing them she said: “The fit was fine but the scratchiness felt worse; they were not nice to wear.”
Look
All of our testers found the tights to be a lot more sheer than others. "They felt too light and cheap which was disappointing," one commented. Two of the panel said they would buy them while the other three said they wouldn't be picking up the George at Asda tights.
THE FAVOURITE
Well, there you have it, our panel's verdict on the winter tights available on the high street this year.
It seems overall, the tights that came out on top with our panel were the Marks & Spencer 80 Denier Supersoft Tights. They were the only pair all our testers said they would purchase again and not one found any signs of laddering, bobbling or holes forming – win!
BUY NOW Marks & Spencer 80 Denier Supersoft Tights 2 Pack, £6
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