Pantyhose and tights are often thought of as the same type of hosiery. Are they? If not, what’s the difference between them?

 

Tights and pantyhose are both full-leg coverings that start at the waist and end at the feet, with a waistband, gusset and often a reinforced toe, unless you specifically choose a sheer-toe variety. They’re both usually made of nylon, often with the addition of Lycra to make them more comfortable and a better fit. They both come in a variety of deniers, shades and styles, from support tights to sheer to control-top.

 

The term “pantyhose” was developed in the US, from the combination of “panties” or underwear with sheer hosiery. Because the gussets of pantyhose are usually of a thicker material than the material of the leg they’re often worn without undergarments, which led to the name.

 

Tights were originally developed to be as close-fitting as possible to be practical when riding horseback. They’ve come a long way since those days, and today are used for fashion as well as practicality. They’re still as tight as possible, which is where the name originated.

 

Both tights and pantyhose are used for a variety of purposes. Many outfits demand it, and they can be particularly useful for evening out skin tone or concealing blemishes. If you want to wear a particularly short outfit but still keep your modesty, tights and pantyhose can be an essential accessory. Many choose to wear them in the beginning of the summer months before a tan has had a chance to develop, but they can equally be worn in winter as an extra layer against the cold.

 

If you’re in America, the main difference between pantyhose and tights is the thickness. Thickness is measured in denier, with the lower the denier the thinner and more transparent the garment. With these definitions, anything up to 40 denier is considered to be pantyhose and anything of a higher denier, opaque or made of a thicker material is known as tights. Thin, sheer 15 denier garments would most certainly be pantyhose whereas wool-blend items for use in the winter months would be tights.

 

If you’re in England, however, there isn’t usually such a distinction. The word “tights” is used in all cases no matter what the denier, thickness or use, with the term “pantyhose” being very rarely used.

 

So, both pantyhose and tights are very similar. They both serve the same purposes and have the same uses and applications, and both are just as delicate and subject to the same dangers of laddering. In fact, it seems to be that the main difference between pantyhose and tights depends not on the garments themselves, but on where you come from!

Tags