Spandex crochet stockings with ribbon tie top - stockings discontinued by Leg Avenue - review by Jul!a

These stockings are best suited to be worn right above the knee, as they're going to be too tight to be really worn practically up around the thighs.

Their packaging wasn't anything spectacular, just them with a cardboard insert and a piece of cardboard wrapped around them inside a plastic bag. The front showed them being worn by a model, and the back had sizing information, materials, and care instructions. These are one size stockings, 88% Nylon and 12% Spandex, and should be hand washed in warm water. You could probably get away with washing them in a lingerie bag on a gentle cycle as well.

These have a fairly unique design, at least for stockings. Rather than being sheer or opaque or fishnets, they're more of a crochet pattern. They have the similar thick webbing that a lot of the Leg Avenue fishnets have, but instead of that being the repeated pattern there's a column of web and a column of solid crochet. They're all black feature a red ribbon that weaves through the webbing just under the top band. The ribbon is purely for decoration and easily removable if you want to, but it can also be retied so that it fits you best. You can tie it in one of two ways; it's intended to wrap all the way around your leg so you can either tie it that way, or pull the back loop over your feet and have it all be in the front. This would be your best option for "setting it and forgetting it." Above that is the top band. It's about 2 3/4" tall and feels pretty thick. It really doesn't lend itself well to being worn around the thighs and likes to roll down a lot. Now you could let it roll completely down to the top of the stocking and then use a garter belt to keep them up, but I think that the rolling band would still cut into your leg.

Everything about them feels thick and sturdy, but the stocking part is still prone to snags. They won't run unless it's a really bad one, but you should still keep that in mind with things like jagged nails, chipped nail polish, or anything else that might catch.

I normally wear my stockings (or at least try to) around the mid to upper part of my thigh. That part's only about 19 1/2" around. In order to wear these any kind of comfortably I had to pull them down to just over my knee, which measures about 15 1/2" around. At that point the stockings come up about 19" and are pretty opaque because the design hasn't had a chance to stretch at all; either up or out. They'll stretch out to sit higher up, but unless you have really tall legs or super skinny thighs, you're best off wearing these just over your knee. While I had them on they were pretty comfortable, although I did have to keep fixing one that would roll down even just over my knee. They added extra warmth, so that could be really good for going out in colder months to give you an extra layer of protection against the cold.

Here's a picture of me trying to wear them a little father up on my thighs.

When we first got all of the new lingerie, I got really excited and went on a big ol' spree. I really really wanted to like these, but while I don't hate them, I don't love them either. I don't think of my thighs as being particularly large, so it really bothers me when something that's marketed as a thigh high seriously cuts in to my thighs. If these had been advertised as knee highs, I'd have no complaints, but the sizing is off enough that I really do think that these are a bad choice for wearing up on the thigh.

I will keep wearing them as knee highs in the future, but I really wish they fit better.