Lida Active Man

by Geraden

How is this for an idea? A pair of sheer tights made specially for men, with built in socks and a fly? Is that the perfect combination of comfort and convenience? Or is it just a silly idea?

Either way it is a reality and the sock-tights in question are called Active Man. They are made by the Polish firm Lida, who last year branched out into the male hosiery market with the 100 denier opaques called Man’s World. I got my Active Man in size XXL from legwear4men in a barely black colour called ‘grafit’. Although the size chart is ambiguous, Daz (the owner of L4M) was right to prescribe the XXL for me. I am not particularly overweight – well maybe just a little – but I am 6' 4" tall.

The tights arrived yesterday. The packet is in Polish, Russian, English and German, which gives you some idea of Lida’s marketing strategy. As with the 100 den opaques, the English is just a little stilted, and needs some adjustment to be completely effective.

Active Man - Warmness and elegance for MEN.
These are luxurious tights for men for autumn and spring, designed in accordance with male's anatomy. The tights of our production are unique, because they have a special construction imitating socks, so that the tights could stay man's secret.

When I opened the packet, I found that the tights are very definitely in three sections with different weights: opaque socks, sheer legs and opaque panty with fly. The legs are 40 denier but look more like 30 at most. The socks look about 120 denier and the panty, 60 denier. For members only, there is a picture here.

Digression over, the quality of Active Man is superior to that of the Man's World opaques. I was pleased to note that the toe seam is in the correct orientation on the Active Man, and not 90° rotated as it is with the opaques.

Putting the tights on, I was struck by how strong the compression in the sock portion was. It was quite a struggle to open up the sock to get it over my foot. Here is a warning – when you are pulling them up, you could easily rip the 40 denier sheer leg just above the sock if you are not expecting the difference in tension between the two parts. Fortunately I have avoided that so far. The socks are surprisingly warm – almost as warm as conventional male socks. I am used to nothing more than sheers or ordinary opaques on my foot, so the difference with these Lida sock-tights is very noticeable. The toe is slightly reinforced, but you probably would not notice that unless you were looking for it. The socks look very much like men's dress socks, rather than like the horrible thick saggy things that most men wear on their feet because their wives have bought them for Christmas. The sock comes up to mid calf on me: not my favourite length. I would have preferred either an ankle sock or an over the calf sock, but as my legs are very long other men may find that the sock fits well over the calf. The packet illustration shows mid calf, however. The transition from the sock to the leg is on the inside, so despite the difference in thickness there is a smooth profile on the outside.

The sheer leg is quite silky and soft – well done Lida for that! I am trying to think what the look and feel reminds me of. I would compare the leg portion to Wolford Synergy 40, but without the shine. With 17% elastane (dorlastan, not lycra) they do offer a bit of support. They are described as 40 denier appearance, but denier appearance is an art, not a science, and it seems to be very subjective. I would put these tights at 30 denier appearance maximum.

The panty has a gusset/front panel which is roughly the same as the Mans's World in construction, only not so thick. However, unlike the panel in the Man's World, this panel goes only as far as the crotch area. At the front it is doubled to create an offset fly opening. A fly is an unnecessary and expensive feature in my opinion, but if you want one in order to prove that your tights are men's tights rather than women's, well these will do the trick. The waist sits too low for my liking, but at least it will not show above trousers. A mark of quality and care in manufacture is that the seams are flat, not raised.

These tights cost £7.99 from legwear4men.com and come in four sizes and in a choice of colours; navy, graphite and black.

Overall, an interesting product. It is targeted at male wearers who want to keep their wearing secret. For them it offers something lighter than opaques for the warmer months of spring and autumn. The plus point is that the integral socks will never slip down to reveal sheer nylon underneath. However, the sock portion looks more like opaque tights than normal male socks, so for those wearers for whom stealth is the main consideration, I do not think that these offer quite the right solution.

If male hosiery is a niche market, then this product must be a niche within a niche. Don't get me wrong: these are nice tights – the leg portion feels good and the socks are warm – but in terms of value for money I would have to say that they will not be near the top of my shopping list.