For those who wear stockings during the chilly spring and fall days or even in the stifling summer heat, finding the perfect pair is always a challenge. The right balance of comfort and style can be hard to come by at a reasonable price. I wear stockings throughout the summer and I am always testing out different brands. I wanted to put it to a real test once and for all and see which stocking was the best, so I decided to wear seven different pairs over the course of a week. Let the stalking of the stockings begin…
Day 1: Spanx
Price: $17.99 (expensive for only one pair!!)
Look: The color was fine but not so natural, it was definitely very noticeable to the eye that I was wearing stockings. The control top was definitely a great shaper as this what the Spanx brand is known for. These are good to wear underneath a tight dress or gown.
Comfort: For all that control, it does not leave much room to breathe. I guess it’s better to look good than to feel good?
Grade: B+
Day 2: DKNY
Price: $6.99
Look: The DKNY stockings have a stellar color on the outside and were almost indistinguishable from my own skin color. These also provide a great control top, almost as good as the Spanx.
Comfort: Again, these were tight around the middle, but I guess it’s worth it?
Grade: A-
Day 3: Melas
Price: $5
These are the stockings that I wear most of the time, and they’re probably the most popular brand of stockings in the Jewish world.
Look: The Melas brand has my favorite color. I wear the honey-colored stockings and they look great and very natural! The only downside of these is that the control top is not as strong as I would have hoped.
Comfort: The comfort level is all right, but it gets a little tight once you start eating…
Grade: A-
Day 4: Calvin Klein
Price: $7.99
Look: I was not impressed by the look of the Calvin Klein tights. The color and shine made my legs look like I was a stockinged bubby. The control top was just okay, it was not super effective.
Comfort: These were pretty comfortable but that was at the expense of the not-so-effective control top.
Grade: B-
Day 5: Hue
Price: $6.99
Look: The “hue” of these stockings was fine and looked pretty natural against my skin tone. The control top did not do much.
Comfort: Due to the pretty much useless control top, these were comfortable.
Grade: B
Day 6: Hanes
Price: $3.99
Look: I was surprised at how natural these stockings looked once I put them on and the control top was okay as well.
Comfort: These were pretty comfortable, I would definitely wear them again!
Grade: A-
Day 7: Naturi
Price: $5.99
Look: Nothing about these stockings was too great. The color did not match my skin tone too well despite the fact that it was undoubtedly the one that I should have chosen. The control top was okay.
Comfort: The comfort level was acceptable.
Grade: B
By Mairav Linzer
Mairav Linzer is a rising senior at Stern College for Women. This summer she worked as an intern for The Jewish Link.