Most of us are used to wearing tights when the weather gets a little colder, but sometimes we want something a little different – especially if we are going on a special night out. This is where
fashion hold ups come in. Hold ups are a great way to add a touch of warmth to any outfit, not forgetting an element of glamour as well, and so they are ideal for when you want to look your best or when you are planning on having a romantic evening.
Hold Ups were originally designed by Pretty Polly, yes that Pretty Polly, and they are self-supporting stockings which have a silicon strip inside the top of the stocking in order to help them to stay in place. They are like a longer version of a knee-high basically, but not to be confused with a body stocking. Hold Ups became popular during the 1940s and 1950s when nylon revolutionised the way ladies dressed, but they fell out of favour in the 1960s when the arrival of the miniskirt meant a lot of ladies switched back to wearing tights.
However, in recent years there has been a bit of a revival in the world of hold ups with many designers, such as Asti, including them in the 2017 and 2018 collections.
How to wear Hold Ups
As we have said before, hold ups are perfect to wear when you want to transform your everyday outfit into something more glamorous. You need to be careful though, that the length of skirt or dress you wear over them is long enough to cover the top of the stocking, both when you are standing and when you are sitting. Have a try on a session before you go out, and sit down and cross your legs to make sure that no stocking is showing when you are seated (unless you want it to!)
How to Put Hold Ups On
One thing that we have noticed is that some people are put of wearing
80 denier hold ups as they think that they may have issues with the slipping slightly or with them staying up. This shouldn’t be the case if you put them on properly.
You probably think there is nothing to putting on hold ups, after all, you just slip them on and off don’t you? Unfortunately, this is not the case. If you don’t put them on and off the right way then you run the risk of stretching them or even worse tearing them. So, what is the correct way?
Well, first of all, you need to think about your hands. After all, they are the ‘tools’ as it were that will be helping you to get your stockings on and off. So, do yourself a favour and keep your hands in tip-top condition. Keep your nails trimmed and filed, avoiding any sharp edges, and make sure that you moisturise your hands regularly too so there is no dry skin. You should also do the same for your feet and toenails too. Keeping on top of the condition of your hands and feet means that you should remove the risk of any rough edges catching your tights, and therefore you should have more chance of keeping them whole and ladder free.
The same can’t be said for your legs though. Although we advocate keeping your hands and feet moisturised and free from dry skin, you should avoid any kind of moisture or oil on your legs if you are planning on wearing hold ups. This is because moisturisers can stay on your skin for some time and affect the silicone at the top of the hold up by preventing it from sticking. A good tip we have learnt over the years is to put some talc or deodorant around the area where the silicone band will sit in order to help it to stick and stay up.
When you are putting the hold ups on, you should ruffle them up so that you can get your toes right into the end of them from the start. Then slowly and deliberately unroll them and slide them up your leg inch by inch until you get to your thigh. To get them off simply reverse the process, by rolling them down instead of dragging them.
Cleaning your Hold Ups
Ensuring that your hold ups last a long time is not just down to the way you put them on and off, but also how you look after them. Every time you wear them you should give the silicone band a wipe straightaway in order to remove and skin flakes, body oil or sweat that could affect the hold next time you wear them.
The best way to clean them is, of course, hand washing, as putting them in a washing machine can cause them to stretch. They can also run the risk of getting caught on the machine or other items in the machine and ripping. However, as much as we would all love to hand wash all of our delicate items, we know that life can be busy and leave you with no time to do this.
If you have to machine wash your hold ups then place them into a fine mesh bag first to protect them from the rough and tumble of the machine. You should also only ever use a gentle washing powder as well. Never be tempted to wring them out or stick them in a tumble dryer as this could ruin them, instead put them onto a flat towel, roll them up and then squeeze the towel so it absorbs some of the moisture.
Storing your Hold Ups
Similar to washing them, you should aim to store your hold ups in a mesh bag away from your other lingerie as the hooks on your bra could catch on them and cause a hole. Always fold them as well, so that they don’t become tangled and stretched when you pull them out of the drawer.
We sell a wide variety of hold ups & stockings including our very popular
red hold ups. If you have any questions about any of our range then please give us a call on
01928 508 888 (in the UK),
+44 1928 508 888 (Internationally) or write an email to
[email protected]
