Why my tights are called Fred

I opened a new packet of tights today. Not just a new packet, but a variety I had not tried before, though I have had them in my drawer for several months, unopened.

These are the opaque tights made specially for men by Evona of the Czech Republic. They rejoice in the rather silly-sounding name of 'Fred'. Someone needs to teach the Central Europeans a thing or two about marketing! I got them for £6.49 from my friend Daz who runs the online male tights store Legwear for men – well worth looking at and good customer service from a fellow enthusiast!

The Evona tights (Filip, Felix and Fred) all have a back panel that extends through into the front to form a male comfort zone – so although they have conventional raised seams, these do not fall in awkward places. The Fred (can't help chucking at the name!) tights are 50 denier and contain 7% lycra. They are slightly, but not noticeably, reinforced in the toe and the boxer brief. The tights are fairly soft and will stretch well. My XL pair fit me (6'4") but I need to wear something over them to keep them up. The appearance is matt and you do not need to wear socks over them. They have a lowish to moderate cling factor for those who want to wear them under trousers, as I do for work. Never before have I been struck by how nice tights feel on the toes, but somehow these do. That's really odd!

How do I rate them compared with some other male opaque tights? They fit better than Levee WoMan Sensation but not as well as Activskin A869s, both of which are more expensive. Compared with non-male tights, they are not as soft as Wolford 50 denier Satin Opaques or Marks and Spencer Silky Soft Opaques, both of which are very nice to wear. However I would rate these as the most successful of the Evona range.

links: technorati