Fashion that Makes You Go, "Hmm?" by BridgetteRaes | Blog Talk Radio, June 15
Wow. I have to give great applause to Kevin Wright and Rob Stephenson, who were guests on Bridgette Raes' radio show ("Fashion That Makes You Go, 'Hmm' ") yesterday. You guys were FANTASTIC spokesmen for the mantyhose, and Bridgette was great in providing such an open-minded forum for presenting the true aspects of it that rarely makes it into the public discourse.
While we've all watched with interest as the Emilio Cavallini unisex tights making a big splash back in March. Yet despite the benefit of the big publicity surge, most guys who are wearing mantyhose were left a little cold by the bold black & white patterns (skulls, etc.) Some may go for that look, but it's far from representative of most guys' legwear styles.
On the other hand, Rob and Kevin provide the 'regular guy' perspective that most any average guy could at least listen to and possibly relate to. Rob's a phone company worker by day and heavy metal band member and DJ at other times. Kevin is a family man who has been wearing legwear very openly for years and has become a much more vocal advocate lately--as has Rob. (Thanks guys, I can ALWAYS use the help)
As it happened, Kevin was trying to contact me when she was setting up the show--especially since a segment with Chan Kraemer of eMANcipate had fallen through. Unfortunately, I was on vacation with my family in North Carolina and more or less out of touch with the outside world. They were looking to have me be a guest on the show, but it just wasn't to be. No matter, because these guys were great representatives for all the rest of the guys out there who wish there were more understanding among the media and public perceptions.
It was very refreshing to hear Bridgette, a well-known fashion and radio personality, speak to the double standard that has long existed with respect to what women can wear versus what men can wear.
Make sure to listen to the interview. It can be accessed here:
Again, great job guys!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
A Couple of Regular Guys Talk Mantyhose with BridgetteRaes | Blog Talk Radio
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Is Spanx Considering a Line of Mantyhose?
“I never say never,” she said. “Men are starting to become more and more vocal about what they need. We’ve been getting calls from stylists who tell us that A-list actors and top musicians are squeezing into our Spanx bodysuits for women for movies and music videos. And women are telling us to please do something for their husbands and boyfriends, who are squeezing into large and extra-large women’s sizes.” [emphasis: Nylon Gene]Hmmm... Ms. Blakely may be beginning to see the light. If those callers are 'squeezing themselves' into those women's articles for the practical benefits they offer, how long before she ascertains there is money to be made by offering what they need, only in products made for men. She's a smart lady--if Emilio Cavallini can make money selling (2-3% of their $million annual sales) with an admittedly hard sell of boldly patterned tights for men, how much more so could Spanx capitalize on the market for men in need of support for tired achy legs, or to squeeze those few extra inches off their midsection? They already have quite a few offerings for men already (ManSpanx/Manx). Have you contacted Spanx to let them know how Nylon Gene readers feel about this? It could be interesting to see where it leads...
Thursday, March 8, 2012
A Flood of Media Attention for Mantyhose
My Google Alerts email notices have been going haywire sending notifications of all the stories popping up this week with the keywords, 'mantyhose' or similar tags. I've shared a list of them below so you can go check them out. Every one of these appeared within the space of 2 days. Contribute some good comments and let them know you're out here.
Get Your Mantyhose On - WWD (Women's Wear Daily)
NOTE: This article (which appears to be the first to break the 'mantyhose' story) is only available to subscribers ($129/year), and you can only see the first few lines of the article.
Pantyhose for Dudes Are Actually Selling Quite Well - Business Insider
Men In Tights: What Do You Think of the Mantyhose Trend? - Style Caster [reported here at The Nylon Gene]
Men's Pantyhose is a Hot Trend Now? Really? - Guyism.com
Man-Tights: An Expanding Movement - Discovery News (Discovery Channel)
Mantyhose Has Got Legs! Men Are Snapping Up Tights, Italian Designer Emilio Cavallini Says - NY Daily News
Introducing Mantyhose. Yes Mantyhose - TIME NewsFeed
'Mantyhose' Is Happening! - The Cut: NY Magazine
Mantyhose - Are Men Really Ready to Wear Tights? - The Week (Lifestyle Section)
Panic in the Streets! Tights for Men Are Gaining Popularity - The Gloss
'Brosiery' and 'Mantyhose' Take Off as Men Seek Warmth, Comfort... and 'Fashion Statement' of Patterned Tights - Daily Mail (UK) [apologies for the long-winded headline]
Hose for Bros: Five Names for the New Mantyhose Trend - Racked.com
Real Men Shall Wear Tights and They Shall Call Them 'Mantyhose' - The Stir (CafeMom.com)
Mantyhose, Guylons, Brosiery: Men, Ready to Don Tights? - BrandChannel.com
Click-Worthy: Men Wearing Tights (or Mantyhose) Is a Thing - Divine Caroline.com
2012 Apocalypse Confirmed as Male Patterned Tights Go on Sale - Joe.IE (ManStuff)
Mantyhose Are a Thing - Fashionista.com (Fashion News Roundup)
Mantyhose: Tights for Men and Women - WDIV Detroit TV
Designer: Mantyhose--Pantyhose for Men a Fashionable Force To Be Reckoned With - ABC News
Keep your eyes open. There's sure to be more where this came from...
UPDATE: (Mar. 8) They just keep rolling in. Here are 11 more pieces that've run since I first posted this...
Would You Wear Mantyhose? - CBC News (Canada)
New Fashion Style: Men Wearing 'Mantyhose' - Opposing Views.com
Mantyhose May Be the Latest Trend for Men - ABC30-TV, Fresno CA
Men in Mantyhose? Male Celebs We Could See Joining the Trend - WetPaint.com
The Best Guests Come Bearing Gifts: Mantyhose, for Bros Looking for Hose - Guest of a Guest.com
Pantyhose for Men, Mantyhose, Emerging Fashion Trend - WPTV/ABC-TV5
Mantyhose: The Surging Popularity of Tights for Men - Digital Journal (NOTE: Features a pic of 'yours truly')
Will American Men Wear Mantyhose? - WXYZ/ABC-TV (Detroit)
Pantyhose for Men?! Seriously? - Women24.com
Fellas: Are You Man Enough for Mantyhose? - BestWeekEver.tv
Is America Ready for This Trend? Introducing 'Mantyhose' - KSEE-TV (ABC)
Hose Over Bros - The Soup (E Online)
[New for March 9th]:
Mantyhose for Sale: Men In Tights Might Just Be Fashion's Next Big Thing - International Business Times
Mantyhose Sweeping The Nation, Hosiery Manufacturers Report - Inquisitr
"Mantyhose": Pantyhose for Men - BangStyle.com
Mantyhose: High Fashion or Just Another Fad? - Christian Post
Mantyhose: Will Men Really Wear Tights, or 'Hose for Bros?' - Gather.com
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Men In Tights: What Do You Think Of The Mantyhose Trend? on StyleCaster
Recent Mantyhose Publicity
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Twitter User Walks (more than) A Mile in Pantyhose As Challenge to Women
One of the fascinating aspects of this story is that Mr. Opinionated--the pseudonym used on @stuckinhose's Twitter account--did not take on this mission out of a desire to promulgate the male legwear trend, with which faithful Nylon Gene readers have long been well-acquainted. According to Twitter conversations with him, this arose not from a desire to wear hosiery, but instead to encourage more women to do so. He wanted to prove that their complaints about the discomforts and annoyances of pantyhose are a gross exaggeration.
Over the course of time since he began wearing pantyhose to work, Mr. Opionated began tweeting his thoughts on pantyhose to anyone willing to engage in debate with him. As of this writing, he's posted more than 5,200 tweets. They run the gamut from curious coworkers to far-off strangers who've heard of his situation and are curious to learn more about him or his motivations. He has sent 140-character missives to many a female celebrity to compliment them on their choice of legwear, or chastize those who swear by the bare-legged hose-haters party platform.
Since then, his Twitter followers have grown by leaps and bounds, from a handful of insiders to about 250 in less than a week. His profile reads, "I have been challenged by a female friend to wear hose to work under my pants..looking for females who want to help/have ideas/find it funny/etc."
As I've not had the opportunity to interview him directly and get more details, my observations are based on recent Twitter correspondence and review of his public Twitter timeline of previous conversations with other followers, as well as the spate of recent news items that have popped up. It appears the original agreement between Mr. Opionated and a female coworker dates back at least to September 2010. He agreed to wear pantyhose under his trousers each day to work for 90 days, ostensibly to prove that they're not nearly as bad as women make them sound.
Assuming a 5-day work week (18 weeks), StuckInHose would've ended his 'nylon captivity' sometime around New Year's Day. Yet here it is almost March, and he's still going strong--even going out to buy a $50 pair of Wolford hosiery in recognition of the brand Kelly wore the day she introduced his saga to her national TV audience. It seems that there have been quite a few 'side bets', etc. that have added the occasional 5 extra days here and there (Geez, I hate it when that happens), which is why he's still got at least quite a few days to go before being 'set free' from being a 'hostage to hosiery'.
While Mr. Opinionated insists he has no interest in the men's legwear trend, it's hard to avoid a couple of questions that spring to mind with respect to this story. First, for a guy who isn't at all interested in the idea of men wearing pantyhose, or 'mantyhose', he seems to have taken on this 'chore' of demonstrating the hollowness of female complaints against hosiery with little resistance.
Add this to how readily he was required to add days and weeks to his original 90-day ordeal, and the picture that emerges hearkens back to that old Shakespeare line, "Methinks he dost protest too much."
This should not be taken as criticism, though. If anyone should appreciate how wearing of hosiery out of necessity for any length of time tends to cause one to discover a whole range of beneficial aspects, it would be me. It was only after wearing support-style hosiery at a doctor's suggestion for relief from poor leg circulation that I discovered how several secondary benefits and how energized they make ones legs feel.
Although he could be reluctant to admit it, for fear of the reaction of friends or family, Mr. Opinionated shouldn't fear the public fallout were he to acknowledge that he's learned to like the idea of wearing pantyhose during the past six months. He would be among the very good company of thousands of 'regular guys' across the country who have made the same discovery. Secondly, even if he truly remains fully committed only to promoting more frequent wearing of pantyhose by women, his exploits and the publicity surrounding it have the unavoidable consequence of furthering the public acceptance of sheer legwear as a male, or more properly a unisex, garment. Each time a man who is by all appearances an otherwise average, ordinary guy--lacking effeminate or 'odd' personality traits--comes into the public eye while unapologetically wearing tights or pantyhose, it continues the erosion of those outdated misconceptions once held in the public perception. That was the idea behind my work in developing this blog, and previous work as a public spokesman in support of this emerging trend.
Consequently, the old notions associating men and nylon legwear with sexual deviations, etc. have all but disappeared. I can't tell you how many people who have noticed my hosiery have commented that they assumed I must be wearing them for medical reasons, etc. That seems to have become the new default assumption when it comes to a man wearing pantyhose.
I wish Mr. Opinionated luck with the remainder of his time "stuck in hose." It will be interesting to see whether he ever reaches the end of his 90 days.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Well Groomed Bloke is Back (and wearing mantyhose)
Although I can't personally vouch for that last mental image, for the purposes of our Nylon Gene blog and it's loyal readers, I can share with you what the article has to say about the mantyhose trend...
"...Across the globe "mancessories" are big business, with everything from make-up to handbags being tailored to a male market.
From Givenchy Spring/Summer 2010
And if you thought men in tights went out with bows and arrows, think again. Givenchy's spring 2010 collection featured mantyhose and the trend has been embraced for their warmth and the circulation boost they provide.
The online men's fashion magazine e-MANcipate.net even includes detailed photographic instructions to help men get into their mantyhose and avoid ladders ('runs' in U.S. lingo --SN.).
How about guy girdles to hold in the beer belly?
The designers at Australian company Equmen prefer to call it male compression wear; briefs and undershirts designed to lift, flatten and shape a bloke's body.
The range has been embraced internationally and is sold at outlets such as Saks Fifth Avenue in the US and Selfridges in the UK..."
[Follow link to read the full article.]
We've not seen a great deal of publicity about the male legwear trend for a few months, so reading this reference in the Herald Sun article was refreshing and reassuring that our previous efforts to increase awareness among the public and media outlets in the past has not been in vain.
 |
Spring/Summer 2011 Collection (with a little kilt action thrown in) |
As with just about everything in the 'fashion industry' it's far removed from what the average 'bloke' on the street is going to be wearing. But it's also an indicator of the general shape of things in years to come. What starts out on the runway generally morphs into something similar, but realistic, before showing up here and there in general circulation. Obviously, since legwear has been showing up in men's fashion collections on more and more occasions, the idea that they aren't for men is evaporating.
And, as the Herald Sun article cited above asserts, that doesn't go hand in hand with guys becoming more feminine, either. One of the basic precepts of The Nylon Gene's message is that legwear (tights, sheer hose) have a legit place in male attire. Real men can, and do, wear hose.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Get Ready to Kiss Cargo Shorts Bye-bye
From a men's legwear perspective, there's little question it looks much better when paired with shorts that fit the wearer's body style, and size, appropriately. As many readers will certainly attest, it can be very difficult to find shorts that do this, when most of them are tailored more akin to clown pants. While I, myself, do in fact wear cargo shorts (as can be seen in the photo at right), I always go for those that fit well, and aren't excessive in the number of pockets, zippers, etc. I will probably wear them less often once these cleaner styles start becoming more available in stores.
For what it's worth, I posted the following comment on the article's webpage:
I'm sure I'm not alone in welcoming the demise of the ridiculously oversized, so-called 'shorts' that have been the scourge of menswear for nearly a decade or more. I'm about 5'-7" and have always had the hardest time finding shorts that look halfway decent on me, since they look huge even on larger guys.
The cleaner lines will be a huge improvement on the clothes we can wear in warm weather, now. They'll also be accentuated by another emerging trend that's slowly gaining some sway on the edges of men's fashion. That is, men's legwear. I've been a publicist for a company that's been selling sheer and opaque tights for men (aka, mantyhose) for more than 10 years.
Sometimes misconceptions get in the way of understanding, but the guys who are wearing them are basically regular guys who wear them for leg support and like the way they improve their look. Not so much about the wild patterns that often get featured in news articles, this trend is more about subtle shades that closely match skintone and will also add to the smooth lines referred to in the foregoing article.
I'd like to hear from you readers out there. How do you feel about the slimmer style shorts discussed in the article. What about the big, baggy style? Anybody going to be pining for them once they disappear? Also, one thing I noticed about the photos accompanying the article were that the guy pictured had very hairy legs. Of course, that's not going to work well with sheer hosiery--so it'll be necessary to at least closely trim leg hair if you're among those with lots of dark hair. In my mind, this would probably be a good idea even if the wearer weren't going to wear legwear. What do you think? Monday, March 29, 2010
Mantyhose: What It's NOT--What It IS...
I posted a comment on an article on "Men In Tights" on Mancouch.com (a blog about stuff guys like) today. With all the buzz going on these days about the topic of men's legwear, I thought my comments might be useful to repost here on The Nylon Gene. They may prove useful in helping those who read superficial treatments of the men's legwear trend get past some of the misconceptions out there...
We generally fear, or mock, that which we don't understand. So let's take a look at what 'mantyhose' IS and what it's NOT (generally speaking):
In general, it's NOT what's pictured on the guy standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, pictured at right. That's definitely something that's pretty far out there on the fringe of things. It doesn't represent what the vast majority of guys who wear legwear want to wear.
It's also NOT a gay thing. From what I've read on a variety of blogs and forums, gay men for the most part feel about the same way about pantyhose as the stereotypical woman does. They don't like them and don't want to wear them.
It's NOT an attempt to revert back to fashions of the 1700s. If it's sometimes pointed out that men were the ones who wore the tights in the Middle Ages, it's only to illustrate that they're NOT exclusively a female garment.
It's NOT a secret desire to cross dress, either. Guys who are wearing the male hosiery on the market today (which does come with a fly, BTW) aren't typically combining it with other female items to start dressing as a woman.
It IS a recognition that men are as likely as women to have tired, achy legs due to poor circulation, and that support hosiery provides relief if worn consistently. Sometimes they're worn under jeans or other pants--sometimes they're worn with shorts. Sometimes they're in virtually invisible colors that closely matches skintone--sometimes they're worn in more visible colors like black or dark grey.
It IS a way to attain added warmth beneath outer clothing without the added bulk of long johns or sweatpants. Some guys can live with long johns, others prefer the thin fabric that moves with them.
It IS a way for athletes (especially runners and cyclists) to keep the chill off the legs when they first go outside--yet avoid overheating after their body temperature rises with exercise.
It IS also a way for those athletes to enhance stamina somewhat with the moderate muscle compression provided by support styles of hosiery.
It IS a garment worn for fashion in some cases, in that guys are recognizing they can successfully add them to a masculine outfit if properly coordinated (i.e., not as shown in the photo above, by the Eiffel Tower).
However, for the most part, it IS something generally worn for more functional purposes. For my part, I initially started wearing tights or sheer hose for leg support. But after a few years I recognized I didn't want to give up wearing shorts for good, just because I needed to wear support-style hosiery to keep my legs from aching. I've been wearing them openly among friends and colleages for years now, and nobody questions my manhood because of it.
If you're a basically masculine guy in the first place, wearing legwear doesn't detract from it. Yet, if you're an effeminate guy it doesn't matter if you wear a Rambo outfit--you'll STILL look like a girly-man. (anybody here old enough to remember Michael Dukakis wearing the tank commander helmet during the 1988 presidential campaign?)
As with most everything, there are no absolutes. The foregoing statements represent the bulk of men who wear legwear today. Yes, there will be a few who will wear ostentacious patterns and colors out in public with shorts. Yes, there are gay men who wear pantyhose and like them. Yes, there are certainly cross dressers who wear pantyhose with their outfits, too. But, by and large those are NOT representative of the majority of men wearing nylon legwear--and on behalf of them I hope to shed a bit of light on the subject. Hopefully, this will cause more writers to stop and take a more reasoned approach to the "mantyhose question".
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
History of Hosiery
I am reprinting information here that was gathered together by Christopher James, a young graphic designer who also happens to share a great interest in men's legwear. Chris has a website, called Graphic Illusions, to showcase his work, and has recently added a "Leg-Gear" page to his site. I included a brief mention of Chris in my recent Examiner article (Male Tights-Wearers Gaining New Sense of Confidence), and I'm hoping to do a profile of Chris a little later on. For now, I just wanted to reprint the great information he's pulled together--mostly from Wikipedia. Although Wiki-info can sometimes be of suspect accuracy, I can attest to many of the facts cited herein, and believe all of it to be sound. Read on ...
How many people know that men were the first to wear pantyhose?
Centuries ago men wore hand knitted stockings made of wool. In 1589, William Lee of Calverton, Notts, invented the first Knitting Frame. Excited about his invention, Richard Parkyns (a member of the Parliament for Nottinghamshire) arranged for William to meet Henry Carey and Lord Hunsdon (members of Queen Elizabeth Privy Council).
With a pair of wool stockings to show what great work William’s new invention has done, they presented it to the Queen for approval. The Queen at first rejected the idea in consideration of what it would do to her poor subjects. It would bring them to ruin by depriving them of employment, thus making them beggars.
The Queen turned to Lord Hunsdon and declared, “Had Mr. Lee made a machine which could give me silk stockings, I would perhaps been justified in granting him a patent”. Then looking at William she said “To enjoy the privilege of making stockings for everyone is too important to grant to any individual.”
Not giving up on the dreams William had for his invention he worked making and selling wool stocking until 10 years later when he had finally perfected his invention to knit silk stockings. Unfortunately the Queen passed away in 1603, a bit too late for William to present his improvements.
William took his invention and moved to France where he met the De Caux brothers, and drew up a very complicated but precise contract in partnership for the manufacture of stockings made from silk and wool.
Tights were made as a close fitting garment for men of nobility such as King Henry VIII of England, the material would be made of silk or wool, rather than the coarser fabrics used by the so called “lower classes”.
The technology remained reasonably the same, until the 1930’s when a new circular knitting machine meant garments could be made in one piece, and no longer needed to be sewn together. A man named Julian Hill discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal, tar, water, and alcohol, he could create a filament that was strong, sheer, and silk-like in appearance. Further research led research led to the first synthetic fiber, which soon came to be known as Polymer. In 1937, Du Pont patented his discovery.
At the World’s Fair in New York in 1939, synthetic fibers were first shown to the public. Taking the “NY” from New York, and adding “Lon” from London (the origins of stockings) came the word “Nylon”. The first Nylon stockings appeared in New York stores on May 15th, 1940. Women of course started wearing the newer, lighter, softer, nylon stockings and well over 72,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone, causing the Japanese silk market to collapse overnight.
In 1942, during World War II , nylon production was switched into tent and parachute manufacturing for the military forces. During this time, women who desired the look of wearing stockings would shave their legs and oftentimes draw a vertical line up the back of their legs to simulate the effect.
In 1953, Allen Grant Sr. of Glen Raven Knitting Mills developed a commercial equivalent named “Panti-Legs”, but didn’t introduce it to the markets until 1959. During this time another North Carolinian, Ernest G. Rice invented his own design (similar to what’s used today) and in 1956 submitted a patent titled "Combination Stockings and Panty".
It wasn’t until the 1960s that a combination of factors made them a veritable fashion necessity: improved manufacturing made them cheaper; spandex (or elastane) made them more comfortable; and the miniskirt made thigh-high stockings obsolete.
After the 1980’s pantyhose sales to women started to fall, as they began to prefer the “bare-legged” fashion. Pantyhose where no longer required in many workplaces as part of the female dress code. While sales remain low today by comparison, alternative styles are seeing growth. Fishnets, patterns and colors, opaque tights, low-rise, footless shape wear, and pantyhose for men.
About 14 years ago, L'eggs introduced an online discussion board on their website. Although intended for women, they soon discovered that the majority of respondents were men discussing the fact that they wore women's pantyhose. More surprising was that the reasons given were practical, legitimate uses such as leg support, added warmth, and so forth. More recently, L'eggs has done research and discovered that nearly as many men enjoy buying, and wearing their product as women. Currently, there are many companies, worldwide, making or selling pantyhose for men, sometimes referred to as 'mantyhose'.
Some of these are:
* ActivSkin
* Aries
* Doyeah
* Ela
* Levee
* Collanto
* Emilio Cavallini
* Gerbe
* Levee WoMan
* Lexwear
* Legwear 4 Men
* Lida
* TIM
* Shapings.com
* Hosiery Museum
* Luxelegwear
* Hosieria
Some examples of men today who wear pantyhose are:
NFL football players (who wear them under their uniforms for warmth); Hunters/Campers often wear them for warmth and to protect against ticks and other insects; Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have worn them under their uniforms for protection against sand fleas; Men with varicose veins or other circulatory problems often wear support pantyhose in lieu of medical hose to improve blood circulation.
There are thousands of men in the U.S.--as well as overseas--wearing pantyhose for hundreds of reasons. Men have been wearing pantyhose since the invention of stockings, and men are still wearing pantyhose today.
Many decades have passed since women have taken over legwear fashion, and men are finally taking back what was originally theirs. Although not really "taking back," since we don't want to be selfish... Women look great in hosiery, too... Men just want to show the world that tights and pantyhose are indeed a unisex article of clothing.
[Thanks, Chris, for assembling a great piece on legwear history. -Steve]
Friday, February 12, 2010
Examiner.com: Male Tights-Wearers Gaining a New Sense of Confidence
Just a quick little heads up for any Nylon Gene readers that may have missed it: I published a new article yesterday on The Examiner. It's titled: "Male Tights-Wearers Gaining a New Sense of Confidence." In it, I spotlighted a few of the men who are beginning to shed the old reluctance guys have often felt in the past about acknowledging to anyone that they wore tights or hosiery. The reluctance arose from a fear of insinuation that they might secretly be a cross dresser, when in reality they wear them for completely practical reasons like leg support or added warmth, etc. Guys like these in the article are who are going to make a difference in changing public perceptions of men's legwear. Read it and send these guys some kudos!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Charnos Launching a Men's Legwear Line?
Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, it was a misunderstanding, Charnos--the British women's hosiery company--is not actively planning to launch a men's line of nylon hosiery. The notion surfaced late last week as a result of a Twitter conversation between the owner of the SheerGeek blogsite and Charnos Hosiery, which I picked up on with TweetDeck and chimed in with my own $0.02. (Click on the preceding link to see the complete conversation on SheerGeek's website)...
In a nutshell, Charnos posted the following on Twitter: "Tweet us your height, and what size hosiery you usually wear (S,M,L,XL)"
SheerGeek replied with, "When can we expect to see you enter this growing market?"
To which, Charnos replied, "We actually are testing the mantyhose market as we tweet! One of our tights testing team is a male: http://bit.ly/8HZsDP"
Well, you can imagine how many bells and alarms a bit of information like this is likely to set off. Many of the thousands of men currently wearing tights and sheer legwear are wishing to see an established major hosiery company launch a men's line, and thus would probably inundate them with calls and emails.
However, I don't know if this happened. I emailed them to inquire further, with the thought of writing an Examiner article on the topic after obtaining further information. Shortly thereafter, the following was posted to SheerGeek's blog by Ali Maynard of Charnos:
"Great to hear you are a fan of Charnos hosiery, but just to clarify Charnos is not going into the 'Mantyhose' market but we are really pleased to know that there are men out there who also love to wear Charnos hosiery.
Our resident male tights tester, Dan, is simply testing our existing range with a male perspective.
Thanks."
So, there you have it. It would seem, according to Charnos anyway, that they have no current plans to get into the 'mantyhose' market anytime soon. That's probably just as well, since we can't necessarily expect any of the large hosiery makers to cater much to a market that--while growing considerably--is still only a small percentage of the women's hosiery market. I still believe men who wear legwear are best off supporting the companies, like ActivSkin, who have been there from the beginning, working to provide what men are looking for and not trying to drive the market somewhere it doesn't want to go.
Still, this whole episode strikes me as rather strange. A Tweet was posted that DID say, "We are actually testing the mantyhose market as we tweet!" An odd way to phrase it if all they were doing is getting a male perspective on women's pantyhose. It could be there's more than meets the eye, and this was some sort of 'trial balloon'.
It is encouraging that a major hosiery maker acknowledges the fact that men do wear their products--as evidenced by their including one on their testing team. We'll see what happens...
[Follow Steve's Tweets on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/newmansa]
Friday, January 29, 2010
Another Manifestation of Philly Mag's 'Mantyhose' Story
Another article, entitled "Mantyhose is 'Great European Fashion Trend'" appeared on the SockShop website Jan. 27th describing how it is expected to, "...take the U.S. by storm, according to a new report." I suppose being "uber chic by next year," as the original Philly Mag (In Defense of Men's Tights) article puts it, is similar to taking the country by storm. In any case, this example shows the value of getting coverage from a larger, established news organization. The more prestigious the original venue of the article, the more spinoff articles there are elsewhere in the ensuing days and weeks.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mantyhose Story Is Getting 'Legs'
I wrote to tell readers about the Philadelphia Magazine article, "In Defense of Men's Tights" last Friday. Now it seems to have been picked up on by Toronto Life. Karen Liu published an article yesterday called, "The Next Big Thing From Europe: Mantyhose". This story may have the potential to be picked up and reprinted in a number of markets. That's always a good thing for raising the awareness level of men's legwear--even when the legwear in question tends to evoke some strong negative reactions because of the style depicted.
It's a fairly short article that mostly refers to the previous one from last Friday. However, Ms. Liu does note that, "pantyhose for men, or mantyhose, were spotted in Givenchy's Spring/Summer 2010 fashion show", and also that We Love Colors, a company specializing in tights in a wide range of colors, now offers several lines of tights for men.
I did a little searching on the Givency line and found the referenced legwear that showed up subtly in the Spring/Summer 2010 line. Even more notable is how much more pronounced it was in the Fall 2010 lineup. Some of us who follow these things have seen hosiery show up in designer fashion shows in the past, but these were typically from John Paul Gaulthier, et al, and tended toward the more bizarre end of the spectrum.
What's notable about the Givenchy items is how the look is somewhat closer to something you could actually see on a street somewhere, someday. Very little that appears on any fashion runway is something the average guy would be wearing in the foreseeable future, but the appearance of male tights and shorts in this lineup appears to bode well for the eventual entry of men's legwear into the mainstream. That's the trajectory that trends often follow. First, the fringe elements, then the 'hipsters' (as referred to in the article), and eventually the fashionable--where it begins to be truly commercially viable-- and finally the vast mainstream.
I posted a comment on the article's website, following one from Darrell at Legwear4Men taking the writer to task for overlooking the true U.S. roots of the male legwear trend (Ohio's very own ACTIVSKIN Legwear for Men). In it, I commented on the paradox of media coverage focusing on the wilder patterns that only a small fraction of men are wearing, compared to the basic, non-flashy legwear that most men wear today. I've reposted it here below:I have to echo what Legwear4Men said above. Media coverage of men’s legwear is an odd kind of paradox. On the one hand, it is rare to see feature stories on the plain ol’ tights or sheer hosiery the vast majority of guys wearing them actually have on their legs. Yet there’s a high level of coverage of the really splashy-looking tights (ie, the Emilio Cavallini checkered tights shown above) that only a tiny minority of male legwear wearers would wear. Myself, I wear tights/sheer hose for leg support, and wear them with shorts without reservation. Yet, I would never wear the checkered or striped tights in EC’s catalog.
Why the disparity in coverage between what real men are really wearing, and the styles that maybe 1% would be seen in? Maybe partly because plain and ordinary doesn’t sell as news. Maybe because it’s more ‘fun’ to display styles that are much more likely to evoke a good, “ewwwww”, or “ROFLMAO”, etc, etc.
I don’t get too excited over it, though. I’ve been closely involved with publicizing the emerging men’s legwear trend long enough (see my blog, The Nylon Gene, http://www.nylongene.com) that I can see the gradual, and sometimes grudging, increase in overall acceptance of ‘mantyhose’ despite the somewhat negative impact the wild patterns have on public perceptions.
Little by little, people are coming to realize that they aren’t representative of the legwear that makes up the bulk of the market, that there are some very practical reasons for wearing it (as in the Philly Mag article), and guys can wear it without sticking out like a sore thumb.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Follow-up on Selfridge's Mantihose line | Metro.co.uk
A quote from an article entitled Male Grooming: Setting the Muscle Tone for the Future in the Lifestyle Section of Metro UK:"Oh yes, and let's not forget mantyhose - otherwise known as tights for boys. Selfridges sold a whopping 50 per cent of its stock in two weeks."
Sounds like, for all the valient attempts at mockery by the UK press, these things still sold like hotcakes. Nothing more to say...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
History of Men In Pantyhose
Here's a link to an article posted the other day on HubPages, about the history of men's legwear (e.g., pantyhose, tights, etc.). It covers the time periods in the past when tights were worn by men only, as well as the modern time period where the situation reversed itself and women became primarily associated with tights and hosiery. The article goes on to describe the current situation, where men have been taking up the fashion of wearing tights and pantyhose yet again.
Several blogs that focus on the men's legwear trend were mentioned, although a notable exception was our very own Nylon Gene, which seeks to be the most visible and up-to-date source of information on men's legwear to the rest of the world.
I just discovered that the author of the HubPages article has also launched a new blog on Blogger. It's called, "Legwear is Unisex Fasion" The author has only yet published one posting, which is the same one posted on HubPages. I'm glad to see other men taking bold steps forward to help advance the growing men's legwear trend. The more that regular guys allow their name to be associated with men's tights, the quicker it will become a 'non-issue' with others who don't wear them.
It's notable that more people are seeing fit to write on this topic all the time. Guys who were once reluctant to be associated with wearing hosiery for fear of being mis-labeled a cross-dresser are now coming forward and writing articles. That's a good sign in my book. The article's interesting reading, so I would recommend taking a look...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ladies, Does Your Guy Wear Pantyhose?... Maybe He Should
I've published a new article on The Examiner as titled above. It deals with the issues wives and girlfriends may have when they first discover that their husband or boyfriend has begun wearing sheer or opaque legwear for one of the various reasons for which men have been taking up the trend of late. The full article can be found on my Columbus Men's Legwear Examiner page, or by clicking here. Please feel free to ReTweet this or share it on your Facebook pages, etc. as much as you like.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Defending the Mantyhose at NBC
Nylon Gene readers who are following updates added to the Media Blog will have noted addition of a link to a story entitled "Horrors of Fashion: Mantyhose" on the KXAX/NBC5 website the other day. As suggested by the title, it did not take a favorable tone toward men's legwear. Happily, today a follow-up piece was published called, "Defending the Mantyhose". This resulted from contacts I made with author/editor Greg Janda, explaining the variety of practical benefits for which men are now wearing pantyhose. The initial article approached the issue strictly from a 'fashion statement' perspective and was completely negative in tone. We commend Mr. Janda for his willingness to present counter-balancing information as well...
There has been a flood of articles and blog posts focusing on the men's pantyhose (aka, 'mantyhose') trend since late September, when several British newspapers ran the story of a leading London department store launching a line of 'Mantihose' from clothing designer Unconditional. As it turns out, the mantihose in question seem to more resemble cotton/lycra blend leggings than pantyhose. The UK media muddied the waters further by combining silly-looking photos of their reporters wearing this legwear (paired with a mini-kilt, basic dress shirt and tie), with others borrowed from the e-MANcipate website.
The result has been misleading mental images of men's legwear in the public eye that conjure up connotations of modern day 'merry men' prancing about in short skirts and snakeskin tights. Needless to say, under those conditions the overwhelming public response is one of, "What the... ?"
During this time, yours truly has been working overtime to engage discussion in these many venues, where reporters essentially ask, in so many words, "Would you wear THIS?..." Respondents predictably reply, "Hell no!" Who can be surprised at these responses, if the other side of the coin is not being presented?
Our observations indicate that when the story of men's legwear (tights, pantyhose, mantyhose, etc.) is conveyed in a context of the practical reasons for which men are wearing them, people are less inclined to react in the visceral ways we see when it is presented in a context of showy, dramatic styles intended to grab the viewer and 'make a bold statement.' Men wearing legwear for leg support, added warmth, or even the comfortable feeling it provides, don't evoke the same degree of resistance among the unitiated that fashion tights with colorful patterns do. I think this is because the latter is much further removed from the current experience of most males and their loved ones today.
I would like to explore this issue further in the near future. For now, suffice it to say that I have to wonder aloud whether imagery such as found on e-MANcipate harm more than help our advocacy efforts for the men's legwear trend? I have great admiration for Chan Kraemer, the website creator, and his photographic skills, as well as his passion for promoting something so far outside the current social norms. We have corresponded on a number of occasions.
The many photographic images depicting men wearing colorful legwear in a wide range of settings has been very successful in getting the idea of men's legwear on the radar screen of many media organizations around the world that otherwise would probably never have paid much notice at all. Part of that success comes from the boldness of the tights they are shown wearing, with patterns and colors that can hardly be ignored. Yet, the vast majority of men who wear legwear--myself included--would not consider wearing these designs, let alone those men who have yet to so much as try their first pair of tights. The dilemma of promoting men's legwear is that very often it is either completely covered, or barely noticeable unless photographed up close with very high resolution.
I face the same dilemma here on The Nylon Gene. While I often wear dark-colored or black hosiery with a basic shorts and pullover shirt outfit, my position as a public legwear advocate demands a higher degree of visibility than the average guy might embrace. Some might say the black legwear is over the line, too. One distinction from the patterned tights shown on e-MANcipate is that all of the legwear I'm photographed wearing are actually men's tights or hosiery. Currently, no company is selling tights in the variety of patterns and colors depicted at e-MANcipate. With the exception of camouflage, I doubt the men's legwear market will support anything at all like what is shown in these pictures--at least in the near or intermediate future.
So, the question arises: Are images such as I've discussed above beneficial, in that they provoke much more 'buzz' surrounding them--even if most of it is negative? (the, "any publicity is good publicity" theory) Or, would men's legwear be better served having people's first encounter one in which it's depicted more akin to the way most men who might adopt it could see themselves wearing it--with information included about functional reasons why they might consider giving it a try? Although the latter alternative is more likely to evoke an initial positive response, it may not have the 'Wow' factor that gets it noticed more often. Is it better to expose a wider spectrum of people to the concept--hoping to later persuade them of the practical benefits of what was first met with mocking or ridicule?
As I've Twittered, blogged and emailed out my, "rest of the story" in the wake of the most recent publicity wave, these are the questions that have run through my mind. I would be very interested to hear what The Nylon Gene readers have to say on this...
Monday, September 28, 2009
Examiner Article: London Mantyhose Has Britons All a-Twitter
Following the news from Britain last week of a major London retailer introducing a line of men's hosiery--dubbed Mantihose by its maker, Unconditional--there has been a flood of media attention in the U.K. Much of it has taken a negative tone, with headlines blaring sentiments such as, "Men's Tights Are An Abomination" in the Daily Telegraph. It's unfortunate that the British press can't simply report on developments without trying to hard to shape public perceptions along the way. Toward that end, I published an article on The Examiner that will, hopefully, lend some balance to the vigorous debate that has erupted since last Thursday...
I'll leave Nylon Gene readers to read the full article themselves. However, I can muse here on the blog about the possible intentions of the media who are reporting on this across the Atlantic. It surely seems they have an interest in squashing the men's tights trend, as I've tried to point out in my article. The question arises as to, 'why?'
It's one thing to not be a fan of legwear, be you male or female. There are many women who hate wearing pantyhose, and if they do wear them it's only when absolutely necessary. Yet, there are at least as many who love to wear a quality pair of hose and appreciate the feel of them, as well as the practical benefits. Likewise, there's a good portion of American men who will never don a pair of tights, regardless of how many legitimate benefits can be shown. But, again, there is also a sizeable (and growing) segment who have discovered these benefits and have become diehard fans. If you're one of the former group, it shouldn't matter to you how many men might take up the tights trend. So why must so many in the press unfairly slant the playing field against men's legwear?
As I pointed out in the article, the choice to use pictures from the e-MANcipate site hints at their motives, and it's reinforced by dressing a reporter in shirt & tie, with leggings and a mini-kilt below the waist. What's up with that? We certainly support Chan Kraemer's work at e-MANcipate, but we also readily acknowledge that they are out there, 'on the edge' and not the sort of imagery that's destined to convert the average man-on-the-street to a favorable disposition without a good deal of time to become acccustomed to it. The news reports never even state whether these leggings are in fact the product being sold at Selfridge's in London, so we're left to wonder if they just pulled this outfit together from leftovers from the wardrobe department? Those in the know, such as myself, are certainly aware that the e-MANcipate photos have no relation whatsoever with the new Unconditional line--nor does the mini-kilt.
Taken together, these paint a picture of British manhood that is not very secure with itself. If this were not so, why would it seem so imperative to take down this new line of clothing, no matter what misleading images need be used? Men who are confident in their masculinity don't feel it necessary to hunt down and eliminate those that they deem don't illustrate their definition of traditional manhood. In fact, they are willing to wear new things without running about and getting 'permission' from others beforehand.
As we're constantly illustrating here on The Nylon Gene, men's legwear (sheer or otherwise) is a completely masculine garment if worn in conjunction with otherwise male attire. It's high time certain members of the press attempt to provide a more balanced perspective than they've done thus far. Until that time, it will be left to myself and those like me to continue to beat the drum for the thousands and thousands of men in all walks of life who simply want to take better care of their legs and don't want to be associated with 'prancing about' and so forth.
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Quick Update: Tights Have U.K. All A-Twitter
Just a brief little update on what's going on. Many of you, especially in the UK, have been seeing the wave of men's legwear publicity surrounding news of Selfridge's (a London-based department store) launching a line of men's tights. The Daily Mail, Telegraph, and Evening Standard ran articles covering this item, although the coverage leaves much to be desired. However, the surge in attention paid to men's tights in Britain have brought ACTIVSKIN into the public eye as well. Just this morning before 8:00am, I've given two phone interviews for BBC Radio Kent and Radio Wales...
I'm working on getting the audio in a form that I can share easily with Nylon Gene readers. In the mean time, you can go to the following links to listen online to the recording:
Jamie & Louise/BBC Wales - Open the player and slide the bar to about 0:10:00 (and 0:15:00, 0:21:00, 0:29:30, 0:52:00, 1:11:00, 1:38:00, 1:57:30) for some of the setup. Go to about 2:50:00 for the interview itself.
Andy Garland/BBC Kent - Go to the player, you can slide the slider around until you find it. I've not had the chance to find where it is in the 3 hour time slot. The only guidance I can give right now is that I did the interview about 7:50am, which would be 12:50pm GMT. Since I believe he's on from 10:00am to 1:00pm, my interview might be located around 2:50:00 in the program.
If you listen, please post your comments and feedback below.
One more thing: After these articles ran, it was amazing how the Twitter activity on #mantyhose skyrocketed. I was checking in on Thursday evening and my keyword alert was full of posts commenting on them. You can join the conversation if you search on the Twitter hashtag #mantyhose. Include the tag in your posts, too. That helps increase the tracking, which might get it listed in the Trending Topics. It's a good opportunity to engage those people who are currently carrying around mis-informed negative ideas of men's legwear. Just remember to be gracious and civil in your discussion. Also, you can help us increase awareness and web traffic at ActivSkin and The Nylon Gene by using these the following links, http://bit.ly/dN3bb and http://bit.ly/Yu3c8, respectively, to refer people to the sites.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
An Interesting Blog Post: "Brand MAN-agement"
Nancy Friedman wrote a very interesting article last week entitled, "Brand MAN-agement." In it, she discussed how so many man-words and man-brands attempt to "masculinize activities and products usually marketed to women."
This, of course, is of interest to us here at The Nylon Gene, since much of our discussion centers around various aspects of the men's legwear trend, which has been dubbed 'mantyhose' by many in the popular press...
Although some of us here have debated whether use of the word, 'mantyhose' is a good thing or not, we can probably all agree it's not as bad as, 'man-pris' (capri pants for men), 'mandals' (men's sandals) and other verbal attrocities. Ms. Friedman even noted the emergence of the word, 'man-cession', which was documented by University of Michigan professor who is trying to make the point that male workers are hit harder during the current economic downturn. Nylon Gene readers will recall the July 5 post that shared the news that ACTIVSKIN was included in an online TIME Magazine Photo Essay on 'Man-cessories'--products coming into use by men that were formerly used primarily by women."Like manscaping, many man-words and man-brands attempt to masculinize activities and products usually marketed to women. The earliest example may be the manbag — a purse used by men — which first appeared in print in 1968 in, of all places, the Newark (Ohio) Advocate and American Tribune. 'The manbag is a natural progression in the men's wear revolution that started a short time ago with turtlenecks,' the paper informed its readers. (Turtlenecks!) The manbag (or murse) never became as ubiquitous as those Midwestern metrosexuals may have wished, but it never went away, either. Its survival may have been aided by the robustly male Chewbacca, who carried one in Star Wars. In any event, it exerted a linguistic pull on many other products formerly under the sway of the feminine mystique."
Why the rise of the 'man-word' of late? On the one hand, it seems to be a shorthand for men acting like (stereotypical) women in some isolated area, without the more socially-suspect act of trying to be a woman. Or, possibly an acknowledgement that men in the past have been too uptight about having anything to do with anything that smacks of the feminine, and today's guy is a bit more laid back about it. "Back in the 1990s, TV's Seinfeld advanced the cause of man-fashion with the man-fur (worn by Elaine's boyfriend David Puddy) and the memorable mansierre, the bra invented by George Costanza's father to support men with, well, man-boobs. The mankini—a lime-green suspender-thong—worn by Borat in the eponymous 2006 movie spoofed not only stereotypical European swim attire but also the whole ?kini clan (bikini, tankini, monokini, trikini). The mankini was fictional, mostly (check Amazon for the $13.99 costume version), but mantyhose are quite real. Read all about them at e-MANcipate, whose goal is "to mainstream pantyhose for men." You may want to take along a pair or two on your next mancation—a term first heard in another 2006 film, The Breakup, and soon thereafter appropriated by a website (Mancation!) that offered all-guy getaways. The sorts of vacations where a dude can wear mandals—man-sandals—and his buddies won't snicker."
In any case, it doesn't seem that the 'man-word' is going anywhere soon, so we may as well get used to it. By the way, Nancy, you may want to update your article to include ACTIVSKIN and your friendly neighborhood mantyhose blog, The Nylon Gene... hmmm? [g]
BTW, Unfortunately, the full article is available only at Visual Thesaurus, which requires a subscription to gain access and read the article in its entirety. Don't scold me for posting a reference to something with restricted access. I signed up for a trial membership to VT so I could read it. Maybe you'll do likewise and find that you like VT enough to stay?
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