As soon as the clocks go back and the leaves turn orange, out it comes: the Tote Bag of Doom. Containing an amorphous mass of tights, all tangled together, most… completely unwearable. They’ve either laddered, become covered in mysterious holes, or they fall down. *Constantly.* This is also normally only found out when I think I’ve found a good pair and have left the house.
I feel like I spend most autumn and winter mornings knowing the outfit I want to wear, and being unable to because, once again, the utter chaos that is finding a good pair of tights has reduced me (almost) to tears. I do try: I’ll wear tights even when they’re super laddery and try and make it part of my ‘look.’ But, this isn’t a long-term solution: I’m not Courtney Love, and there are occasions when I’d like not to look a shambles.
So, I set out to find out what tights actually last – no ladders, no rips – by trying a variety of designs.
Autograph
- Best for: low-cost
- Size range: S-XL
- Did they ladder? Unfortunately, yes on the first wear
- Rating: 3/5
I really couldn’t tell much of a difference, appearance-wise, from the Autograph pairs and the more expensive ones. You get three in a pack for £10 from M&S, and they feel soft and comfortable on. But, a few of the pairs in the lower deniers did end up laddering by the end of a full day and night’s wear.
Because of how much more affordable M&S tights are, they are still a good option, particularly for those after thicker deniers. I will still rely on Autograph as my go-to for when I go on holiday and forget to pack tights (something which happens all the time). It might just be worth trying some of the ladder-preventing tips and tricks I detail below with these.
Hedoine
- Best for: no ladders
- Size range: S-XXL
- Did they ladder? No, I did get a small snag after a couple weeks' wear
- Rating: 4/5
I didn’t want to like these tights. They’re £40 a pair and I just didn’t think of myself as a ‘luxury’ tights person. If I’m going to spend forty quid on something, I want it to be something fun, not boring old tights. Then… I pulled them on.
I wore The Nude – available in five skin tones, I opted for Vivid Champagne – with a beaded sequin skirt, AKA the enemy of tights. They really are like a filter for your legs! I have some light eczema on my calves, and they completely disguised it. They’re also so soft, I kept stroking my legs throughout the day (not in a creepy way).
After three wears, they’re holding up well. They survived the sequins and me stacking it on my way into work. I went slap-bang, knees first, onto concrete – and there was not a hole or ladder on my knees. Miraculous.
Hedoine's 20, 30 and 50 denier tights do come with a ladder-free or your money back guarantee, thanks to 3D knitting technology. Meaning, if a hole appears (much like my knees, they are not indestructible), it will not ladder. There is s small hole near the bum of my tights, but I'm happy to say it hasn’t spread into a ladder, therefore turning them unwearable.
Oh, and a nice bonus, each pair comes with its own box, hopefully keeping it out of the Tote Bag Of Doom.
Swedish Stockings
- Best for: comfort
- Size range: XS-XXL
- Did they ladder? Nope, and no holes either!
- Rating: 5/5
I love a mini skirt, and there’s nothing worse than your own tights sl*t shaming you by revealing the brief shorts panel and seams beneath your hem line. Swedish Stockings makes this a non-issue by opting for a firm band around the stomach that helps keep them up, allowing the tights to feel like they’re part of your skin. One of the pairs I tried was a higher denier than I’d normally go for (60 denier), and I actually loved how they looked.
Sustainability is a huge cornerstone of the brand. In the words of their founder, Linn Frisinger, “tights are the plastic straw of the fashion industry.” The collections consist of more than 80% recycled materials, and the material is so soft. I've also found a place for all the unworn pairs guiltily gathering in my Tote Bag of Doom thanks to their recycling club. I can send all my old pairs to them, which they will then repurpose (quite unbelievably!) into tables.
Swedish Stockings Olivia 60 Denier Premium Tights
Heist
- Best for: fashionable tights
- Size range: 6-22
- Did they ladder? No ladders, but a few snags
- Rating: 4/5
Polka dot tights are a winter wardrobe staple for me, but I always used to have to save them for special occasions as I knew they would rip and ladder throughout the day. As soon as I put on this Heist pair, they just felt different. For one, they looked luxe. I used to think that tights were just… tights and that they couldn’t look expensive, but this pair did (which admittedly they are £35 a pair, but currently on sale for £21!).
They also didn’t ladder, but there were a few snags (which appeared as little black lines on the pattern). I've concluded I can’t ask for the impossible when it comes to low-denier tights. If I wanted tights to remain flawless throughout the day, I should stick to higher deniers.
I also (classic me) fell over the second time I wore these and they did get a hole but don’t blame the tights, blame me! The fall didn't result in a ladder though, which I think is a sign of how fairly indestructible they are.
SPANXshape
- Best for: shaping
- Size range: A-E
- Did they ladder? There were a few small holes after one wear
- Rating: 3/5 for the fishnets, other styles and higher deniers last better
I’m such a fan of Spanx clothing. They do the best flared jeans, and their leggings are the only ones I work out in. They’re also, contrary to the Bridget Jones reputation of being a struggle to put on (and get off), incredibly comfortable. I’ve found that Spanx give a smooth finish, and I feel ‘held in’ by them but not in any way restricted. It's more that they enhance my figure, rather than trying to change it.
This translates to the brand's tights. When I got them out of the packet, they looked tiny, and I thought there was no way I would fit into them. But I got them on fine and found they were comfortable and didn’t dig in.
However, the Micro Fishnet Stockings pair did get a few small holes by the end of the day, but the Mid-Thigh Tight-End Tights in Very Black didn’t, so I’d recommend them for occasions where a higher denier suits.
Calzedonia
- Best for: a variety of styles
- Size range: XS-XXXL
- Did they ladder? Not in the time I wore them, but they didn't stay up, so I gave up wearing them pretty quickly
- Rating: 2/5 as I don't think they're suitable for my body type
The best thing about Calzedonia tights is that there are so many different styles to choose from. Want diamante dots all over your legs? They’ve got em. Tiny little red hearts? Those too. There's often a 4-for-3 deal on, so price-wise, particularly if you buy in bulk, they’re not bad.
Fit-wise, it’s all worked out via your height and weight, with sizes ranging from XS to XXXL, though not all styles go all the way up. I’m also someone who likes to wear tights basically up to my ribcage, and these weren’t high enough for my liking; they also rode down quite a lot. But, saying that, friends of mine who are in smaller dress sizes (I'm a UK 16/18) absolutely rave about their Calzedonia pairs.
Snag
- Best for: size inclusivity
- Size range: 4–32
- Did they ladder? N/A
- Rating: 4/5
My number one tip for tights that are constantly falling down? Pop a pair of pants over the top of them, and they’ll stay up. There’s no need to utilise this tip with snag as, if you get the size right, they stay up all day.
Every design comes in sizes 4–32, and when I put a call-out on my Instagram for tights recommendations, about 20 people messaged me to say this brand is their favourite. I only tried Grannies Woolen Cable Knit tights for winter (can report, a little itchy but not overtly so), so can’t comment on whether or not they ladder, as, in general, I’ve found the higher the denier, the longer the tights last.
Tips to stop your tights laddering
I did try a few of the viral tricks to stop ladders. I sprayed a pair, before wearing, with hairspray. It didn’t stop them from laddering, but if you do get a ladder and have a mini can with you, it does stop the ladder from spreading.
There’s also the ‘freezer tights trick’ which does work, but you have to be very well prepared as it involves rinsing your new tights in cold water, wringing them out and placing them in a freezer bag overnight. You then have to thaw them completely at room temperature before wearing. This is said to make them more durable as the freezing temperature strengthens the fibres, but I did find putting them on, after the trick, to be really uncomfortable. Though maybe I didn’t let them dry out for long enough.
How to put your tights on without them laddering
Tights – especially when you like the lower denier designs (my dream tight denier is 10-20) – can’t shoulder all of the blame. There were a few occasions, during my test (and let’s face it, my life), where I laddered the tights literally as soon as I pulled them on.
From this, I learned to take off all my jewellery before putting them on and be very careful with my nails (some people wear gloves, which maybe I’ll have to adopt from now on, despite how extreme it feels.) Oh, and watch out for pesky zips, grabbing at the material. Also, and maybe I shouldn’t have to tell anyone this, keep your toenails trimmed...
Why do I care?
Tights, and their flimsy, easy-to-ladder nature, have led me (and many others) to view them as a single-use product. This is not good. Globally, approximately 8 billion pairs of tights are thrown away annually – and these end up in landfills or are incinerated. In my case, they end up in the Tote Bag of Doom, taking up space but never worn.
Catriona Innes is Commissioning Director at Cosmopolitan, you can follow her on Substack and on Instagram.
Catriona Innes is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Commissioning Editor, who has won BSME awards both for her longform investigative journalism as well as for leading the Cosmopolitan features department. Alongside commissioning and editing the features section, both online and in print, Catriona regularly writes her own hard-hitting investigations spending months researching some of the most pressing issues affecting young women today.
She has spent time undercover with specialist police forces, domestic abuse social workers and even Playboy Bunnies to create articles that take readers to the heart of the story. Catriona is also a published author, poet and volunteers with a number of organisations that directly help the homeless community of London. She’s often found challenging her weak ankles in towering heels through the streets of Soho. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
