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“I will wear tights even if it’s 100 degrees outside. Tights are my safety blanket.”

Zooey deschanel

When Ben was a couple of weeks old, I went to Harrison’s nativity play at the church. In an attempt to look like less like a sleep-deprived new mum, I wore a pair of tights and a skirt. All was fine until I was walking home, pushing a pram and holding onto a toddler’s hand. With every step I took, I could feel my tights rolling down a little further. I couldn’t let go of Alex’s hand or the pram, but I was praying that they would hold until I got home. By the time I walked through my front door, they were around my knees.

Since then, I’ve been on the quest to find the perfect pair of tights. I wear tights a lot – from September-ish through until Easter. All I want is a pair of 80 denier plus tights that don’t need hoiking up every ten seconds, and that feel comfortable without needing to wear a pair of knickers over the top. I was beginning to feel like it was impossible – I’m fat and I’m tall – but a little bit of hope appeared when UK Tights got in touch and asked me if I wanted to try some from their site.

It felt like my last hope. If I couldn’t find tights from UK tights, who have tights in all deniers, colours, sizes and brands, I couldn’t imagine ever finding any. I opted for four pairs. Now, I did have fabulous photos of all of them but my laptop broke, and guess which idiot hadn’t backed them up? Yes, that would be, so you’re going to have to make do with stock ones here.

Cette Dublin Plus Size Tights – £13.99

I ordered two pairs of these, one in black and one in Aubergine. They’re 60 deniers but are lovely and thick and felt like really high-quality tights – not ones that were going to ladder or bobble on the first wear. However, while they fitted around my waist, they just weren’t long enough. I have the same problem with them I always have – they need a good hoik every few minutes. They are superb quality though, so I will grin and bear them when no walking is required!

Pamela Mann 120 Denier Opaque Tights – £8.99

I was really looking forward to the slate-coloured ones of these – they’re super thick and the size I went for is supposed to fit a 20-26. I’m the smaller end of that, so I thought it would give me a bit of extra strength and comfort. Again, just like the first two pairs, they felt good quality, but just aren’t long enough. If you were a more ‘normal’ height, they’d be superb, but if you’re one of the longer-legged amongst us, skip these.

Trasparenze Jennifer Merino Wool Tights £16.99

I had high hopes for these, which I ordered in prugna, a sort of very deep purple. I assumed with a pretty hefty price tag (for tights, anyway!) and them being merino wool, they’d be amazing. They were to be honest – snuggly and looked great on my legs. The sizes go up to 6ft, which should have fitted but they literally came up to my bum, and no further. I couldn’t wear them because the gusset (oh how I hate that word!) was not much higher than my knees. I tried so hard to do that pull up thing you do with tights (you know, where you inch them up bit by bit), but they didn’t want to fit. I did, however, pass these to a friend who is a lot shorter than me, and she loves them. They fit her perfectly!

So, the quest for the perfect pair of tights for me is still on. The tights I tried from UK Tights are high quality, and if they fit, I know they would be comfortable. If you are of average height, I would absolutely recommend them.