You may notice that some fabrics feel much strechier than others. This can be especially apparent with dance tights. If you have an athletic body shape like me, some brands of tights can be hard to pull over muscular calves and thighs while other brands slide on no problem.
Tights are usually made of a blend of nylon and spandex (sometimes called elastisene or elastic). The higher the spandex content, the stretchier the tights will be. Look carefully at tights packaging to see the material breakdown. Most tights are between 85 and 88% nylon, and contain 12 to 15% spandex. Unseamed tights generally have a higher spandex content than seamed tights. If you need the look of a professional backseam tight but don't like the lack of stretch, try a faux-backseam tight from Capezio or the modern mesh tight from Gaynor Minden.
I am under the impression that men's tights are much less stretchy than female tights. Why is this? It does not seem fair! Do you know of any really stretchable tights for men?
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. Most men's tights are made with a lower spandex content, and a good number of brands are mostly cotton. If you're allowed to wear footless varieties, you may want to look into products like Nike Pro compression tights (meant for sports like running or football, but great for dance). They're engineered more for aspects like moisture wicking and comfortable stretch, so they sacrifice a bit of the classic dance look.
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