Stockings and tights: the essentials for sexy, fetish lingerie

Sensual, soft, practical, elegant... stockings and tights can be found in most wardrobes and are available for every occasion.

Wearing stockings and tights

If you're wondering about this category of undergarment, then this section will help you get to the bottom of it.

What's the difference between the two styles?

They stop at the calves for knee-highs, otherwise above the knees, or up the thighs. Stockings are held in place by garter belts or a self-fastening system that allows the garter to adhere to bare skin. For some stockings, they start at the ankles and stop at the thighs, so that the feet can remain bare, to the delight of fetishists. Tights are said to be more comfortable when they don't constrict the waist, and can erase a few small curves while sculpting the whole silhouette. As for stockings, they bring a very special sensation: the wearer feels stronger, more desirable and, above all, more sensual. They can be tricky to wear at first, which is why some are more suitable for everyday wear, while others are reserved for occasional wear.

When should I wear stockings or tights?

There's no specific event: whatever the season or time of day, they can be worn in everyday life as well as in the evening, in summer as well as in winter. In any case, they're sensual, figure-enhancing and make you feel sexy for any occasion. However, certain materials and cuts lend themselves better to the circumstances. And to make you feel good in your lingerie, they're ideally paired with garter belts, bras or matching panties and thongs.

Why wear stockings and tights?

Stockings and tights are real seduction assets, boosting self-confidence, shaping legs and buttocks, dressing up any outfit and even keeping you warm with opaque fabrics. This form-fitting accessory not only elongates and refines the silhouette. For fetishists, there's something terribly erotic about seeing a woman or a man squeezed into it. They may find pleasure in simple contemplation, in the feel of the textile sliding over the skin, or by choosing to wear a pair, secretly under a garment or in intimate life. Since everyone has their own preferences, the choice of material is entirely up to you or your partner.

How to choose stockings and tights?

Finding the right pair the first time isn't always easy. People who are used to wearing them or fetishists already have their own selection criteria. However, if it's your first time, or if you'd like to try out a very sexy pair or something a little more original, for example to take your first steps into the world of BDSM, there are a few criteria to take into account.

Different materials

Stockings and tights have come a long way since their creation. Today, there are materials of all kinds to appeal to a much wider audience. For example, for a BDSM party and a more severe look, you can opt for wetlook or vinyl stockings, whether black or red, with self-ties or garter belts. Lycra is certainly the strongest material for a long-lasting accessory, but nylon is generally the preferred material of fetishists who love to caress the leg or foot encased in this textile. Some models may contain elastane, as is often the case with one-size-fits-all, to give them extra elasticity. Thicker tights can be made of microfiber and polyamide to ensure opacity and resistance. Last but not least, velvet leggings give a boudoir or gothic feel that's much appreciated by men and women alike. Soft and warm, velvet leggings can complement a sober look as well as a lingerie ensemble.

Different patterns and cuts

Tights come in a variety of cuts: classic ones that unroll right down to the waist, open ones so you can enjoy an intimate moment without removing your lingerie, bare-bottomed ones with or without a thong effect that invite spankings (for example, with a paddles and tapettes, a riding crop or a martinet), or models open at the sides for a garter belt effect without the mechanism. Stockings range from mid-length schoolgirl socks to stockings that stop just below the buttocks. As for patterns, fishnets are the most famous, popular for bondage style. If you're looking for a sexy, all-purpose effect, lace garters are a big hit. Some models also feature patterns along the legs. But if you want to turn heads, there's the discreet yet formidable line drawn from the buttocks to the heels. Your partner's gaze will never cease to wander up the line to find its favorite destination.

How best to wear stockings and tights?

Whatever your style or preferred moment for wearing this lingerie, there are always certain combinations that work better than others. The result may be wise or naughty, but it's no less erotic for you and your partner.

What clothes should I wear with sexy lingerie?

In everyday life, you can wear stockings and tights under a dress or skirt to feel sexy. Tights are best worn with a mini-skirt, unless you're saving this ensemble for your naughty games. In that case, stockings will enable your partner(s) to always keep an eye on the garter line. For an evening of libertarianism or swinging, opt for discreet but useful sexy lingerie, such as open tights that allow penetration without undressing.

Which thongs and panties to wear?

Pair your stockings and tights with matching thongs and panties to keep your sexy outfit in harmony. Choose sober models or lace for materials like lycra and nylon, although latex, vinyl and wetlook also go well with them. As for nylon, cotton and elastane, they go very well with velvet. Alternatively, for a 2-in-1 effect, you can always opt for garter briefs, very useful for keeping your lingerie in place throughout the day. Finally, you can just as easily wear nothing at all and enjoy the textile against your sex. In fact, many fetishists, men and women alike, like to know their sex or contemplate their partner's when it's molded by this sexy lingerie.

What BDSM accessories are needed to complement stockings and pantyhose?

If you're planning an intimate evening, accessorize your underwear to make your night a torrid one. Leather harnesses dress up any fetish look and complete a sexy lingerie ensemble with stockings or tights. Opt for a leather harness with chains for the pleasure of metal on your bare skin and all your games of submission and domination. Depending on the harness you choose, it can be fitted with a strap-on for pegging. Your dildo belt can also be worn over your stockings or tights to combine business with pleasure. Of course, all BDSM accessories can be paired with this type of lingerie. Whether you're looking for restraints, hoods, masks or breast clamps , everything goes with stockings and tights.

How to put on stockings and tights?

Because some textiles are fragile and others can be difficult to put on, there are a few tips to help. In the case of nylon, lycra, microfiber or elastane stockings and tights, remember to remove your jewelry and check that your fingernails don't catch before you do anything else, to avoid threading them. Next, turn the undergarment inside out and thread the toe first, then unroll the fabric down the leg. For stockings, adhere or clip when you reach the right height on the thigh, then even out. You can sit down for this and finish standing up. Except for latex, which requires talcum powder to be applied to the skin first, you can repeat this process for all materials.

What other uses are there for BDSM?

Of course, whether for an SM session or a fetish evening, stockings and tights aren't always just sexy lingerie. For the most elastic and resistant materials, stockings and tights can be used as shackles to tie wrists or ankles, or as a gag. Some people fantasize about using pantyhose as a balaclava. But be sure to check that your partner can breathe or express himself in some way, so that the session can be shortened if necessary.

The history of stockings

Stockings have been around since the 1590s, when they were first knitted by hand and then by machine. But in 1935, an American chemist by the name of Wallace Carothers invented a revolutionary plastic material for use as a textile: nylon. Elastic, soft, resistant... it combines all the properties that replaced the old thick models for the sexy, delicate lingerie we know today. In 1939, nylon stockings, also known as synthetic silk, were launched on the market to national success. Ten years later, it was exported to Europe and became a fashion accessory thanks to its wide variety of patterns. Even then, it became a symbol of sensuality. It wasn't until 1959, however, that pantyhose enjoyed the same craze, as they had previously been reserved for the world of show business.

In 1962, engineer Bernard Giberstein revolutionized the pantyhose sector, offering women comfortable, sexy lingerie. Gradually, Lycra became just as popular as nylon. When miniskirts became fashionable, pantyhose were preferred and began to offer a wide range of models, in terms of color, thickness and pattern. Gradually, stockings and tights became fashion accessories, then lingerie, but also sexual accessories for many fetishists and BDSM practitioners who don't hesitate to be creative with their fantasies.