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Tights: March 2004 Archives

tights, day 24

I'm not so sure about this pair. They were a gift and they're a bit Raggedy Ann for my taste. They've never been worn so I might be able to give them to a good home.

And with that, the tights project is done! 24 pairs in all. It would have been more if I hadn't culled out some of the really grungy pairs a week or two before starting this. I think next time I have an idea like this, I'm going to take the photos a bunch at a time and then post them day by day. Trying to find time to dress up and take a photo every day was not working, especially by the end of the month when my work schedule got so busy.

tights, day 23

This pair are really cool, but alas they have a humongous run down one leg. You can't really see it in the photo but believe me, it's huge. I think I'm going to have to regretfully toss these as well. Lina and Thirteen both made it into the background of this photo. They're eating dinner, except Thirteen saw the flash and came out to see what I was doing. She eats behind the dining room table because she feels safe back there. It's sort of her hiding place.

tights, day 22

We finish up with some fun stripey pairs. I must have forgotten I had these black and white striped ones. Or maybe I never wear them because every outfit they go with, also goes with the checkerboard tights which are more unusual. But there's plenty of room in my tights collection for both.

tights, day 21

Four days behind on the tights project! Not a very auspicious way to end the thing. Well, at least by getting caught up now, I'm still finishing on the correct day.

This grey pair hardly ever get worn because they're a lot like the green ones from day 18: I don't much like the ribbing anymore, the color doesn't go with any of my clothes, and they're full of holes. Into the trash they go.

tights, day 20

I'm a bit behind on the tights project -- and on posting in general -- because my good friends Peggy and Chris are in town for the weekend, and we're making dinner for them tonight. So we were tidying up and cooking most of the day yesterday & I'll be out with Peggy most of the day today.

Anyway. I used to wear these red tights a lot, but eventually I decided that with every outfit I would wear them, brown tights would actually look better. Also the waistband is shot so they don't stay up without the help of a second pair of underwear. Still, I'm not going to get rid of them. Red tights are a good thing to have.

tights, day 19

Another pair that I bought at Century 21 in New York. They've got this unusual stripey pattern, and I'm surprised that I don't wear them more often. I think the problem is that a lot of my clothes are brown, and these tights don't go with brown. They would go with blue or purple, but I don't have any blue or purple clothes. (How very strange! Except for jeans and a couple of old sleep shirts, I don't have any blue clothes, and nothing at all in purple. Ten years ago almost everything I owned was blue and purple.) So the only thing I have to wear them with is black, and I've been more into the monochromatic thing lately, so have been wearing black tights with my black clothes. I should find something to wear with these tights. They deserve to be worn more often.

tights, day 18

I have no idea why this pair are still in my closet. The color is yucky and I don't like the ribbed pattern. I'm going to get rid of them now that they've been photographed.

The nice thing about this tights project is that it's making me take out every pair of tights and put them on and, in several cases, decide that I don't want to keep them. I had already culled out the really ratty pairs, but several more are going to go as I work my way through the rest. More room for new tights!

tights, day 17

This is a first for the tights project; a pair I've never worn. I got these at Century 21 in New York as a future replacement for my chartreuse tights when they wear out. The color isn't exactly the same (the current pair are a yellowy green, more like the tablecloth in this photo) but they'll do if I don't find anything exactly the same.

tights, day 16

I have a confession to make: I'm starting to get tired of the tights project. Some days I am just in no mood to get dressed up and take a photo of my legs. I've already done the tights that I like to wear; now I'm down to the ones that hang on in my closet for some obscure reason. Well, at least I only have 8 pairs to go after this one.

Anyway, today's pair of tights. These were a gift many years ago. I think I've only worn them once. They're cute, but they don't really go with my clothes and they don't stay up very well. Still, I can't get rid of them because they're in perfect condition. Because I never wear them. It's one of those vicious things.

I think the writing on the tights says "peace." You'd think I would know that, having studied two years of college level Mandarin. Well it was a long time ago, cut me some slack. I can barely remember how to write my own name at this point.

Note Thirteen in the background of the photo. She looks vaguely disturbed, like she's trying to figure out whether I'm going to do something that will require her to get up and hide. Life is difficult when you are a dog whose laziness is only matched by your neuroses.

tights, day 15

On to today's photo. This is my other pair of white tights. I really like softer, thicker, cotton-socky tights like this. This morning I was wondering why I hadn't worn this pair all winter, until I sat down on something cold and realized they have a hole in the back of one leg. That's probably why. I was trying to convince myself that no one would notice, but at my lunch with the office today Jason said "Hey Sarah, you have a hole in the back of your tights." So much for that!

Other than that, this pair is still in good condition. I'm going to hang on to them to wear with longer skirts. (Right, because I wear so many of those!) This photo also provides a better view of my new shoes.

tights, day 14

Today's been a pretty stressful day. But before I get into that, let's get caught up on tights, shall we? These orange tights were given to me at the same time as the chartreuse ones. I wore them both all the time. My favorite outfit for the orange tights was these loose navy blue shorts (they looked like a very short skirt but since they were shorts, there was no danger of exposing myself), a dark pink sweater and a bright yellow T shirt. It was this outfit, you just can't see the orange tights in the photo. I wish I had a photo of the entire ensemble, just to show people who think I wear too many colors now.

Unfortunately, this pair wasn't as astoundingly long-lasting as the chartreuse pair. These aren't microfiber, just a regular soft ribbed knit. They're pilling badly, the knees are stretched out, big runs and holes up at the top, they don't even pretend to stay up, and there's a hole in one knee and both big toes. I tossed them in the trash after taking this photo.

Goodbye, favorite orange tights. You brightened many a day. I'll think of you and miss you every time I wear my new orange tights. The new pair are nice, but they're not the same as you.

tights, day 13

Okay, the date again matches the numbering of the tights. The tights project is back in sync. Whew!

This is far and away the coolest pair of tights I've ever owned. I've had them for years and I still get comments every time I wear them. No idea where they came from. Either Georg got them for me in NY, or I bought them at Anjana's in Chapel Hill, which once had a really good selection of tights. (Alas, no more.) This photo also gives me the opportunity to show off the groovy new shoes I got today while shoe shopping with Lisa and Shayne. I really needed another pair of black shoes to wear with skirts. These are a bit more than I had wanted to pay, but they're super styling and comfortable too. So I won't complain.

tights, day 12

Skipping a day has caused a serious nomenclature problem. Because this is the 12th pair of tights, and the 12th day I have posted about tights, but the date is the 13th. I think after finishing this post I'm going to put on another pair of tights and take another photo to get caught up.

Anyway, these tights. Have I mentioned that you can never have too many brown tights? Because it's really true. Especially if you wear as much brown and red as I do. These shoes, from Børn, are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. Including sneakers.

tights, day 11

It's supposed to warm up again next week so I better get all the thick tights out of the way. This pair are the same style as the brown ones from Target, but I didn't get them from Target. I can't remember where they did come from unfortunately. I used to wear them all the time, but I've had them long enough that they're developing pretty big holes in the toes. I really hate that, so I rarely wear them anymore.

tights, day 10

I have had a request for photos from a different angle. Do y'all know how hard it is to get these photos? My arms are too short to easily hold the camera far enough away. So I lean forward as far as I can, balancing with one hand on a table (when indoors) or retaining wall (when outdoors), and snap the photo with the other hand. I'm pleased just to manage one angle! I suppose I could dig out the tripod and the remote release, but that sounds way too much like work.

In any case the request came too late for today's photo. So you get the same old angle today. This is the other pair of DKNY tights that I got at Century 21 in New York in January. They're not sparkly like the grey ones, but they are microfiber so they feel nice and I expect them to last a long time.

tights, day 9

I was weirdly tired last night and fell asleep before I had a chance to post yesterday's photo. Oops!

Like I said, you can never have too many black tights. These are thicker than the last pair of black tights I posted, making them perfect for this week's chilly weather. What's up with that, anyway? I'd gotten used to the sunny 80° days, and breezy nights with the bedroom window open. Now we're scraping frost off our cars in the morning again. At least the weather turned cold again before I got around to space-bagging all the blankets and sweaters.

The lighting yesterday was perfect: overcast, so no direct sun, but not too dark. The photo came out pretty much exactly like they really look. I guess I need to find a shady spot to take my photos on brighter days.

tights, day 8

These are my very favorite tights. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't at all do them justice. They look off-white in the photo, but really they're a very light, yellowy green. Exactly the same as the green in the skirt I'm wearing in the photo, but a bit lighter.

I've had these forever; someone I worked with at my old job gave them to me for Christmas 8-9 years ago. The waistband is shot -- I have to wear an extra pair of underwear outside them to hold them up -- but the tights themselves are in perfect condition. They're DKNY which is why I have such a high opinion of that brand. They go with a lot of my clothes so I wear them all the time. I even found a headband that matches the tights at Target. I feel so coordinated today!

tights, day 7

I'm too tired tonight to write much about these tights. So I'll just say that they have an interesting checked pattern in the weave, which I thought would make me want to wear them all the time but has actually had the opposite effect. Maybe the pattern is too busy and competes with my clothes or something, I don't know. Still, one can never have too many black and brown tights.

Also, my floor looks really dusty even though I swept this morning. This time of year is bad for the floors because the dogs are in and out constantly, tracking dust and pollen in every time.

tights, day 6

I had hoped to spend the day in my pajamas, which didn't work out because I had to go out for groceries. But on the bright side, the rain cooled things down enough that I could wear today's tights. I hardly ever wore this pair because I remembered them being too snug & not staying up very well. But today they fit just fine. And they're cute, too. It's kind of a shame that I'm rediscovering some great tights in my closet, now that it's getting too warm to wear them. I wish I had started this tights project in the beginning of winter!

(The extra bonus of this entry is the photo of .... someone else's overgrown driveway. Not mine, no sir!)

tights, day 5

Another day that was way too hot to wear tights, so I put these on just for the photo. These were my very favorite tights for years. I wore them all the time. There's a photo of them here from 1997. That's what I loved to wear with these tights: short skirt, big sweater and Doc Martens.

Alas, I haven't worn them in a while -- a couple of years now, I think -- because I wore them so much they stretched out and are now too long for me. They sag and bunch up so much around my ankles that it looks just awful. You can see in this photo that they're already starting to bunch up around the knees and ankles, and I'd only had them on for five minutes.

I really miss wearing these tights & hate that they don't fit anymore.The striped tights from Target were an attempt to replace them, but they're just not the same. (Barbara just pointed me to an online company with some striped tights that are expensive, but look really similar, and I'm going to look into those.) I've often wondered if it would be possible to stitch up the excess length at the top, where it wouldn't show. Only problem is, if it didn't work it would destroy them. On the other hand, I can't wear them anyway so it might be worth the risk.

tights, day 4

It's way too hot to wear tights today, so I'm using a photo I took on Feb 29. Lisa and Christa gave me these orange tights. Yay for people giving me tights! I really needed new orange tights too; my old pair had gotten all ratty and gross.

I need to remember to take these photos in natural light. The flash is making all my tights look much sheerer than they really do. This pair are much more orange in real life. The skirt was a major find, on clearance at the Gap for $10. The skirt and the tights almost perfectly match, but are off just enough to not match at all. Which is sort of an accurate statement about my fashion sense in general.

tights, day 3

This pair is pretty nondescript, and I don't have a lot to say about them. They're black (although they look kind of grey in the photo), and sheerer than most of my tights, more like hose. Which made them a good choice for today's marvelously warm weather. I don't remember where I got them, but I wear them a lot.

tights, day 2

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I love wearing horizontal stripes. I luurrrve them. I'd probably be wearing them every day if I hadn't gotten into the mod thing. I think it started out as a rebellion against that fashion rule about them being "not slimming." Which is just as stupid as the rule about white after Labor Day, only more stupid because it also preys on people's insecurities about their size.

So at first I wore horizontal stripes as my own personal "fuck you" to fashionistas and their stupid rules, but now I just really like them. The more the better, and if they don't quite match, better still. The outfit in the photo is a jacket, top, skirt and tights which all have horizontal stripes. But you can only see the skirt and tights in the photo. (The skirt is actually longer, but I pulled it up a bit so you could see the tights better.)

I think I bought this pair a year ago at Target. They're a little different from most tights because they're cotton and have the texture of thin socks, not hose. Also unlike hose, they have an extra panel in the seat which makes them fit better on those of us who, um, got back. They are so comfy! I love to wear these tights and skirt with a big sweater and fleece socks on cold evenings. A little too warm to wear today, but since it's probably only going to get warmer this month I thought I'd get them out of the way early.

24 days of tights

I've been inspired by Lisa's ode to her Fluevogs to do a similar overview of my tights collection. One a day until I've posted photos of them all.

I keep them in one of those shoe organizers you hang on the closet door, and I think the shoe thing is full (not sure right now because a couple of pairs are in the wash). Which makes 24 pairs of tights. Unfortunately, just a week or two ago I culled and threw away a few pairs that I knew I wasn't going to wear again. If I hadn't done that I could have easily posted a pair of tights every day for a month.

I'm not going to do this in chronological order or anything; I'm just going to snap photos as I wear them. Also I won't have nearly as much to say about individual pairs as Lisa did about her Vogs. (Tights costing about 20 times less than Fluevogs, I generally have much less emotional attachment to them.)

Anyway, here's the pair I wore today. I bought them at Century 21 in NY when I was there in January. They're sort of sparkly metallic grey, and they go with black or grey clothes. They're DKNY which is the best brand of tights I've ever worn. They feel nice and last a long time -- I have another pair of DKNY tights that I've been wearing for about 10 years now. I have high hopes of this pair becoming a long-term highlight of my tights wardrobe.

[Edited to add:] I just noticed that Thirteen is standing in the shadows in the background of the photo. I wouldn't have noticed except that one of her eyes caught the flash and got a demon-glow. She hates the flash! Like everything sudden, it scares her.

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