Three women wearing different styles of tights. Note that in American English, the two leftmost styles would be referred to as pantyhose.

Tights are a type of fabric leg covering, usually extending from the waist to feet, and fitting as tightly as possible to the body (from which the name derives). Image File history File links LadiesTights. ... Image File history File links LadiesTights. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with tights. ...

Wearing of tights has a long history going back several centuries, when they were worn by men. Today, they are worn primarily by women and girls, as well as infants and toddlers of both sexes. In recent years, they have been sometimes offered as men's fashion and tights might evolve into a unisex garment. Athletic tights are already considered unisex. Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... Plural of Girl. ... A human infant In basic English usage, an infant is defined as a human child at the youngest stage of life, especially before they can walk or simply a child before the age of one. ... Boy toddler Toddler is a common term for a a young child who is learning to walk or toddle,[1] generally considered to be the second stage of development after infancy and occurring predominantly during the ages of 12 to 36 months old. ... Pantyhose for men (or male pantyhose) is pantyhose specially designed and manufactured for men. ...

In American English, the difference between pantyhose and tights in women's fashion is determined in the weight of the yarn used and the thickness to which the garment is knitted. Generally, anything up to 40 denier is known as pantyhose and anything over can be classified as tights. In the United Kingdom the word "tights" is always used. Denier is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers. ...

There are many sub-classifications of women's tights/pantyhose that describe the precise construction (eg. control top, seamless, support). Although most tights are mainly nylon or cotton, lycra is normally included in modern blends to improve fit. Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Lycra is INVISTAs trademark for a synthetic polyurethane-based elastane textile with elastic properties of the sort known generically as spandex. As with other spandex materials, Lycra is commonly used in athletic or active clothing, such as clothes for cycling, swimwear, leotards and dancewear, as well as in underclothes. ...

In women's fashion, unfooted tights are usually called leggings. Athletic tights are often unfooted, although they may have a "stirrup" that goes under the foot to hold the cuff down near the ankle. Girl wearing modern leggings Leggings are any of several sorts of fitted clothing to cover the legs. ...

Historical background

A man's Renaissance-era costume with tights

Originally derived from the hose worn by European men several centuries ago, tights were made as close fitting as possible for practical reasons when riding horseback. For men of nobility the material would be made of silk or fine wool rather than the coarser fabrics used by the lower classes. At the time of King Henry VIII of England, such was the male fashion for displaying a well turned leg that even the king padded the calf area under his hose. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (480x640, 52 KB) A Renaissance-era costume with tights. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (480x640, 52 KB) A Renaissance-era costume with tights. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ...

Examples of current use

A dancer in a leotard and black tights.

Tights are common in the world of theater, especially in Renaissance-era costumes, and dance. Image File history File links Shinyblack. ... Image File history File links Shinyblack. ... A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso and body but leaves the legs free. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to movement used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. ...

The term "tights" has been used to try to ridicule certain traditional British uniform. Most famously the Serjeant-at-Arms at the Palace of Westminster, after a protester got past the security, were described in the media as "middle aged men in tights" A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisations activity. ... A Serjeant at Arms (also spelt Sergeant at Arms, and sometimes Serjeant-at-Arms) is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. ... “Houses of Parliament” redirects here. ...

Athletic use

For horseback riding, tights refers to light jodhpurs (riding pants that extend to the ankle) that are worn in summer or as an undergarment in winter. These pants, or 'riding tights', are cheaper to buy than jodhpurs or breeches (riding pants that extend to mid thigh intended for use with tall riding boots). In warm climates they can be worn all year round. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Tights can also describe the leg coverings worn in cycling and other athletics, especially by runners and wrestlers. These tights are usually a thicker spandex-blend, and are usually footless. Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ...

Athletic tights received some publicity during the 2005-2006 basketball season, when players started wearing the ankle-length tights under their uniform shorts. A prominent NBA player, Kobe Bryant, was one of the first to wear tights, and the style was subsequently adopted by several other NBA players, as well as some college and high school players. The style sparked controversy, leading to proposals to prohibit wearing tights with basketball uniforms. Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by throwing a ball through a high hoop (the basket) under organized rules. ... For other uses, see Shorts (disambiguation). ... “NBA” redirects here. ... Kobe Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. ...

Health and beauty use

Because the fabric used in tights is made of interwoven fabric such as nylon of cotton there are gaps in the fabric where modern manufacturers have been able to place other items which benefit the skin. They can use microencapsulation techniques to place substances such as moistorisers and other skin creams in the tights. These creams are said to act against the skin to create a health and/or beauty benefit for the wearer. Some manufacturers like Palmers or Skin Kiss [1] have even put caffeine in tights which they claim can reduce cellulite for the wearer.

Sales of tights

Sales of tights exploded in the early 20th Century and were only halted during the Second World War as nylon became an increasingly scarce commodity. In fact women were known to dye their legs with tea to give the same effect as tights. They even used eye brow pencils to draw a line up the back of the leg to give the effect of a seam.

They recovered after the war and went from strength to strength during the 20th Century as women considered it only right and proper to cover their legs. However towards the end of the 20th Century sales of tights started to fall by as much as 10% a year. This was mainly due to the increased prominence of trousers in fashion. Workplace dress codes were also a significant cause with the increase in casualwear, "dress down" days and the rise and rise of the trouser "power suit". The UK was particularly hard hit with sales decreasing from £400m in 2000 to below £300m in 2004.

Since 2005 sales in tights and other hosiery has recovered. This is mainly due to the increase in skirts and dresses in fashion. Also a lot young women are using brightly coloured and patterned tights to make a fashion statement. On top of this the rise and rise of internet retail has helped the industry with companies like tightsplease [2] reportedly delivering strong sales increases. The internet should continue to play a significant part in future sales growth as tights do not need to be tried on in the shops and can be delievered to consumers easily and cheaply.

Alternative uses for tights

Most people wear tights on their legs but tights can often have some unusual and useful alternative applications. They can be used to strain paint, tie plants to beanpoles and even as a car fanbelt if it breaks. Obviously there are other less desirable uses such as to obscure bank robbers' faces!

See also

• Robin Hood: Men in Tights, a parody film