I’m lucky that writing this blog means sometimes I get sent things to review. Most of the time these are brilliant and as someone in full-time education rather than full-time employment I’m super grateful that it takes the pressure off buying clothes. I know you’re not meant to look a gift horse in the mouth, but part of the point of reviews is to establish whether it is a gift horse or just… a rubbish horse.
Unfortunately, friends, I have been sent some rubbish horses.
I struggle to find tights that aren’t bloody awful, so when Pamela Mann offered to send me some to review, I was super excited. They come in sizes 8-32 which is a pretty great start. The designs are also completely wonderful (on the models). Alas it all went downhill from there…
So far I’ve tried three pairs and none of them have been good.
In general terms: the sizing does not work. Size 20-26 covers four sizes. There is a considerable difference between a size 20 and a size 26 and what fits one does not fit the other. As a size 18-20, obviously I was going to go for size 20-26 rather than anything smaller. And on that note: why do their tights come in 8-14 then 16-18 then 20-26 then 26-32? Why? Why is 16-18 the only size they’ve bothered to make in a reasonable size range of two?
The tights just don’t fit, and it’s hard to imagine who they would fit. I ended up being late to meet someone because I had to keep stopping on Charing Cross Road to pull them up. I’m not a graceful, elegant type at the best of times, but this really was the worst of times.
I’m desperate so today I’m wearing the 80 denier black pair. The legs look fine, but I’m also wearing a pair of knickers over them to keep them up. I know this is a common technique to combat tights issues, but it shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be this hard to make tights for fat girls that fit. And the tights I’m wearing today are only being kept up by the emergency knickers. I just wore the tights to take the bins out (ie, hardly any distance or time at all) and they were creeping towards my knees.
So I’m sorry, Pamela Mann: the designs are great but the tights just ain’t good enough.