Spanx Turbo Tights

by Geraden

Sara Blakely is an icon of the modern successful businesswoman. Her story has been told numerous times, but it will bear repeating. 

Not being happy with the pantyhose she could buy, Sara set out to make some of her own. She did a lot of research and finally hit upon a footless design with figure shaping properties, designed by a woman for women. After more research and endless cajoling she got a manufacturer to make her design. She chose the name Spanx because it sounded cheeky and she reckoned it would sell well. Following a boost by being featured on Oprah Winfrey, she expanded her business, received awards and commendations, including Entrepreneur of the year 2002.  You can read more about Sara's story here.

Spanx tights are not wrapped around boring white card inserts. No. They are wrapped around colourful and stylish inserts, often with an amusing cartoon on one side. The cartoons – and indeed the packet fronts – all seem to feature an attractive woman with a cheeky face and a mane of blonde hair. I wonder who that could be? A good idea of the Spanx line of products can be gleaned from this packet insert. It is a bit hard to read, so click to enlarge it.

Spanx tights are not cheap. About £14 is the going rate for the basic original design. The ones I bought, Spanx Turbo Footless tights were marked down from £20 to £18 in House of Fraser, but I got them in the sale in January this year at half price.  

These are opaque footless tights, very soft and stretchy, with a comfortable high waistband and cuffs. The seams are raised, not flat, which is a defect of all hosiery manufactured in America. However the quality of the manufacture is otherwise very good. They have a cotton lined gusset and a reinforced panty. They fit snugly around my body and the legs are long enough (I got size E, the largest) to reach my ankles with a bit of stretching, but they settle at around 3 inches above the ankle. The packet scan picture suggests that they have a shaping panel in the front. They don't.

They are warm and comfortable to wear, and fairly dense opaque. The denier is not stated (another American peculiarity) but seems to be about 70.  I do prefer tights that go all the way down to my toes, but the downside to that is that in a pair of tights usually the feet give out first, as they get the most wear.

If you want  a pair of footless opaques, these are excellent: though, at full price, they are a litle on the expensive side. You can have any colour you like, so long as it is black (or beige).

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tags: spanx  sara blakeley  

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