Malachite

by Geraden

So how do you like my new avatar?

Boring? Well, yes, that is the point. See this in the shops, the office, the train, and you would not give it a second glance. Or you might think, 'Nice socks'. And so they are, very nice socks.

Especially so because they are a bit longer than men's socks are wont to be. How long? Calf length? Knee length? Over the knee? Keep going ... surely not thigh length? You will by now have guessed that they go all the way up to the waist. In fact they are tights!

No waist high shots here - this is a PG rated site! But here is another photo, so that you can see what I mean.

I got these because of the design, which I reckoned I could get away with wearing - as socks. Normally I wear opaques or nude sheers as socks. I have worn diamond opaques in this way, but so far I have never worn multicoloured patterned tights.

So what are they? They are called 'Malachite' and they are made by Trasparenze. I had not tried this brand of tights before, but I did know that they are one of the top Italian brands. I picked these tights up for £3.99 in TKMaxx. The normal price is supposed to be £10.00.

My impression is very favourable. They are quality tights with flat seams and a gusset. They are semi-boarded, which basically means pressed but not permanently shaped using steam. The patterning is knitted in, not printed on, and it goes all the way up to the waistband. The latter is knitted with the Trasparenze name – this is a nice touch, but I will not be displaying it! The toes are reinforced. The fabric contains 15% elastane. Instead of the remainder being nylon, 40% is polypropylene and 45% nylon. This accounts for the softness. They are also warm for their weight. No denier is stated but they seem to be about 50-60 denier in appearance. The tights are very stretchy - the size chart says that the XL size goes up to 176lbs and 6'1" or 187lbs and 5'11". I am 6'4" and over 200lbs, but the XL fits me well.

The packet illustration shows a different colour from the ones I bought – mine are called 'nero' (black). I would have preferred the brown, autumnal colours shown on the packet, but you can't have everything.

I wore these tights as male socks to choral society practice yesterday. I was surprised that one man actually looked at my 'socks' but he said nothing. I expect he thought 'Good-looking socks, unusual pattern.' I very much doubt whether he was thinking 'Why is G wearing tights?' I wore them again at the office today. A lot of male and female colleagues must have seen them, but there were no reactions. Maybe they thought they made a good change from the plain socks (actually opaque tights or knee-highs!) that I normally wear.