Sunday, April 29, 2012

Hosiery for Tall Girls

"One size fits all."  HA.  Big fat lie.  HA.

I have discovered two possibilities for those of the lanky-leg problem.

First, there's a problem with "knee-highs" that come up to mid-calf, nowhere close to your knees.  I tried the smallest size of "thigh-highs."  I don't know what's wrong with my legs; thigh-highs in my size simply do not work.  My thighs may be too fat; they may be too thin; the band at the top always ends up scootched down by my knees.  So, if I buy the size intended for a scrawny girl of 5'0", the thigh-highs will fit me as just-above-the-knee socks.  And that works fine for skirts that hit well below the knee.

One problem solved.

Second, there's a problem with panty-hose that you take out of the package, and you could swear that this pair of stockings was manufactured for a 6-yr-old.  C'mon, they're stretchy.  But not that stretchy.  I recently bought a package of Leggs Queen-Plus hose.  According to the package I'm too skinny to wear these.  But my rule-of-thumb is to buy a pair of hose for somebody who weighs 50% more than I do, and then the stockings might actually fit.  When I pulled this pair of Leggs Queen-Plus out of the package, they were the most freakin'-long hose I'd ever seen in my life.  It was awesome!  It gave me hope!  I have no idea how a 5'2" and 240# woman would ever ever ever get into these hose, regardless of the claims on the package's sizing chart.  I think the Queen Plus was made for someone 110-160# who's got a 32-36" inseam. 

Second problem solved ... assuming the hose I bought were actually what they were supposed to be, and not some lucky fluke of a mistake that made its way past quality control into my home. 

8 comments:

  1. I once had a pair of maternity pants that were too long at the beginning of a pregnancy. I was going to get them hemmed, but when I put them back on later in the pregnancy, they magically weren't too long anymore. That's because my fatter thighs, hips, and butt used up the extra fabric that used to hang straight down, making the pants too long. I think it's probably the same concept with the hose.

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  2. Yup. I've read about people counting lost inches instead of pounds. If your leg circumference is doubled that means you need a lot more fabric for your hose.

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  3. I see what Meghan's saying about how the hose could stretch width-wise. And yet, how come it doesn't work the other way? Even when I get a pair of huge pantyhose, big enough to be usable, they don't want to stretch length-wise enough for me to actually be comfortable in them. [Can you hear my whining, "It's not fair!"?] And there's something about the hips and waistband in this pair of Leggs; there's no way it would fit Maggie (who would be on the lower edge of the size chart), much less someone 50# bigger.

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  4. Because pantyhose is quite literally a new form of torture.

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  5. Waistbands digging in to bigger tummies is NOT pleasant. I speak from experience, and it's a real issue with pantyhose. You are correct.

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  6. Susan, JC Penney's brand, East 5th's Sheer Caress, carries Queen Tall. Those will likely work. Here is their size chart, see Chart #3. http://www.jcpenney.com/images/Seasonal/wonensizes5.jpg

    JC Penneys is the only store I know of that carries Queen Shorts and Queen Talls in hose. Queen Shorts are what fit a short, curvy girl like me. :-)

    Furthermore, they are GOOD, and they hold up extremely well. I have pair I have worn weekly for an entire winter without a hole or run. I have another pair with a huge hole in the upper leg, which I painted with nail polish and have continued to wear for months with no further tear.

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  7. L'eggs are stinky; I have never ever had L'eggs that lasted longer than 3 wears or fit comfortably enough that I could stand wearing them.

    Do try the Penney's ones. :-)

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  8. I'll put a note in my sock drawer to try the ones from Penney's when I next venture out to buy stockings. But I'm skeptical. The size chart says it's for women up to 5'10". Not only am I taller than that, but my legs are disproportionately long, so I really need something that fits a person that's more like 6'4" or more.

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