OOTD: Polka dot tights

T-shirt: H&M

Hoodie: Marks and Spencer

Handbag: Michael Kors

Boots: Dorothy Perkins

Tights: M&Co

Miniskirt: a gift

Product review: TWO PAIRS OF TIGHTS (Calzedonia)

Just before Christmas, I picked up two pairs of tights in the Calzedonia sale, pictured below:

The sparkly pair with the larger polka dots were originally £16, half price to £8, and the matte pair with the smaller dots were also half price, £5.50 from £11.

The original RRP of these two are quite a bit more than I usually spend on hosiery, although this is reflected in their elegant, fun yet classy design. For example, I generally don’t wear sparkly or patterned tights (even just polka dots) if I’m wearing a skirt or a dress with a print on it, at the risk of ‘over-decorating’ the outfit and making it seem like there’s too much going on. Yet I wore the £8 Calzedonia pair with a black skirt with quite intricate floral print on it, and somehow, the outfit didn’t look too busy. [Check out said OOTD].

I think the fact that my T-shirt was plain helped counterbalance all the designs and spots on my legs; were I wearing a full dress with that floral print, I probably wouldn’t have worn the tights. But I dug how that outfit looked and will be experimenting with similar looks in the future!

Another area where these tights being more expensive than my usual was reflected in the quality was how wonderfully thick they were! Whilst they may not look particularly thick, such as a pair of woolly tights, they protected my legs valiantly against the blistering winter cold. I do have quite a few pairs of thick tights, but they tend to be less glamorous woolly ones, rather than particularly Vogue, so I love that these two are both functional as well as fashionable.

I do have a minor gripe at both pairs of tights, which is a criticism that can probably apply to the vast majority of heavier hosiery, and that’s that over the course of the day, or if you walk for quite some distance over a period of time, the tights well tend to ride towards the soles of your feet, so you have to hitch them up now and then, a bit of a pain.

Overall, though, I’m really glad I bought these tights because they jazzed up my winter attire considerably. Having good experiences with them, I’m now not so shy to spend a little more on hosiery, so, watch this space!

Grade: A-

---

All my product reviews are listed here.

Restaurant review: BIRD (Camden Town)

Last Wednesday, my friends from my old company and I had our monthly catchup and Bird, an American fried chicken restaurant in Camden, the venue of choice. To my surprise given the busy time of year, the place was fairly empty and we were seated immediately.

It being a Wednesday, the deal on offer was a dozen chicken wings and the house beer for a tenner, which I was all over. I also had some cheesy Korean fries, delicious and reasonably priced at £4.50. The chips were so good they wouldn't have been out of place at the equally high quality On the Bab restaurant, a Korean venue.

I think your choice of dips makes a huge impact on how much you enjoy your wings. I had the sticky soy sauce and the Nashville hot, and both complemented the chicken brilliantly - I was tearing into it with my fingers, table manners be damned.

However, my friend Nick had a different sauce (it may have been buffalo), which was poured all over his wings before served, and thus, removed the crunchy quality of the wings that is one of the main sources of its appeal. Thus, if ordering anything with sauce, I would recommend you ask them not to pour it over your wings and arrive separately in a pot, like the ones pictured below.

Apart from that minor foible, I had the time of my life at this restaurant. The waiters were attentive whenever we needed extra serviettes, but more than that, astutely judged that we were four friends who had a lot to say to each other, so thus were not IN YOUR FACE in the thirsty pursuit of a tip like some central London waiters are, so let us be, which was  much appreciated.

The final bill was very affordable, and management kindly let us sit in our booths and chat long after we'd finished consumption of dinner, which really is a welcome change from haughty places which allocate you a 1 hour 15 minute time window (or something along those lines) and are all but chasing you out with a broom once you've used up your allocated time.

My brother loves fried chicken too, so I will definitely be visiting Bird again, if not this venue, then one of its other London ones. I recommend you do so too!

Grade: A

--

The rest of my restaurant reviews are listed here. If you would like me to review your place, email me at lemon_and_lime7@hotmail.com

-- 

This is us. I'mma do a quick Outfit of the Day, because why not?!

Cardigan: Primark

T-shirt: H&M

Skirt: TK Maxx

Tights: Calzedonia

Earrings: Monsoon Accessorize

Review: Next warm handle snowflake and reindeer tights

This week, I cracked out these tights which I got in the sales earlier this year, and seeing as I haven't reviewed any hosiery products for over two years, I thought I'd share some brief thoughts on them!

Tights, stockings and hold-ups.

Having worked at my firm for a year now, I've developed a particular style during the Spring/Summer months: skirts and dresses, usually paired with a waist belt and a funky pair of tights/stockings. Here are a couple of the pairs I've been rocking in recent weeks, and my thoughts on them.

Below: all from Primark

Sadly the middle pair is with me no more, as, just after two wears + washes, it had too many rips and ladders, which says it all about the durability really. However, I loved the elastic gusset top of the hold-up, and generally prefer wearing hold-ups as it puts less pressure on my stomach and means I can get away with eating a carbier lunch. The only thing you have to be careful with when wearing hold-ups is for the skirt not to be too short, otherwise you'll constantly feel self-conscious.

In terms of longevity, the floral wool tights on the left have lasted the best, and the Mickey Mouse fashion tights on the far right, as you can see, haven't fared quite so well, being made from much flimsier material.

Below: all from Marks and Spencer

The 2 pairs for £5 hold-ups are pretty crappy quality, and the elastic gusset top's hold isn't firm enough for my liking either. The hold ups in the middle are a dream! here they are on:

The colour is a great compromise between nude and black, and so far they are yet to ladder or tear.

Below: from TK Maxx

Despite the lady on the cover, these are actually nude coloured stockings. The quality of the stocking itself is fine, however the elastic part at the top tore a hole in itself which is frustrating, but not the end of the world, as this part is covered by the hem of the skirt.

Below: from Primark

The floral fishnets look kinda tacky on the packaging, but I absolutely love them on!

Stylish and sexy, you also don't have to worry about laddering due to the way the tights are made. The thick wool tights last long, but give a bit too much coverage on warmer days.