Wolford Magic Touch 12

by Geraden

Yesterday I could wait no longer and I opened my packet of Wolford Magic Touch 12 tights. Far from all Wolfords come in extra large, more's the pity, but these do.  So I had some hope that they would fit me. Normally they are £15.00, but mine cost me £6.00 in the House of Fraser Sale. 

There is a little story about these tights. In the store I noticed that the sticky label sealing the packet read 'Extra Large', but the printed card inner packet said 'Large'.  I did not want the tights unless they were extra large, so i decided to talk to a nice hosiery assiatant about them. I waited ages for any hosiery assistant at all to appear, but eventually Valerie served me. I showed her the packet and explained what the problem was. What I wanted to know was whether they were really 'large' or 'extra large'.

Valerie opened the packet carefully and looked at the tights. She said they were extra large, so I said I would take them. She tried to put them back in the packet carefully, but then she seemed to give up and stuffed them in any way. I paid for them and left the store. The sale ends on Sunday, so this was probably my last chance to get them, though I have known the hosiery sale stands to be there for a week or so after the sale has officially closed.

Back to the tights themselves! They are in a colour called 'sand', which is what might otherwise be considered nearer to 'natural tan' than 'beige', but they are not an in-your-face American shade of tan.   Opening the packet I discovered the cause of the confusion over size. There was in fact an extra packet front with the 'large' size printed on, and behind this was the real packet front, with a different design, saying 'extra large' .

It is probably a good idea if I compare these with the Wolford's Sheer 15 I bought at the same time. To start with, despite the denier ratings (which are an art rather than a science) these MT 12s look and feel denser than the Sheer 15s. They are stretchier, and therefore not nearly so long when they come out of the packet.  Despite differences in yarn and knit, in construction they are very similar: sheer to waist, with broad waistband (Wolford Logo printed on invisibly) and very broad finger-band, flat seams, lined gusset, fine knit. The MT 12s are softer and have an unreinforced toe. The Sheer 15s have an invisibly reinforced toe.

Putting the tights on, I was struck by the lovely smooth feel. Although they are not marketed as having any support factor, they hugged my legs far more than the Sheer 15s did, and the body fitted quite snugly. Fit was excellent. Although only recommended up to 5'10" I found no problem with them at 6'4". They are also supposed to be good up to 54" hips. My hips are 10" off that size, and I cannot see these tights fitting comfortably anyone, male or female, whose hips are approaching 50".

These are definitely my favourite Wolfords to date, and I would recommend them to anyone who can afford the steep price. Mine will now be put away for special occasions!