Product Review: Berkshire Tights

I wear a lot of tights.  I mean, a lot.  They are basically my go-to for winter, stemming in part from when I used to ride my bike to work.  Tights just dry so much faster when rained on than jeans do.  And although I'm not close enough to my current job to ride to work (also, why no bike lanes, people?) I still love wearing tights.

But, I have to say that while I love wearing tights, I don't always love how it feels to wear tights.  A lot can go wrong with wearing tights.  If they're too short in the leg, they will inch down into Hammer pants by the end of the day.  If they're too tight in the waist, they will give you what Sal over Already Pretty calls "segmented worm syndrome" which is both uncomfortable and unsightly.  And, if they're too tight in the thighs, your thighs bitch and moan and call you names all day.  (No?  Is that just me?  Damn thighs).

If any, or heaven forbid, all of those things happen to you when wearing tights, then I have one word for you: Berkshire.  As in Berskshire Hosiery, as in makers of the most comfortable tights I've ever worn:

These are the Easy On! Tights and not only were they easy to get on, they were comfortable.  All day long.  I mean: All. Day. Long.  I couldn't believe it.  No pinching, no binding, no rolling, and no mutinous mutterings from my thighs.


I paired the tights with a pleated skirt and geometric print cardigan, because if you can't be paired with a pleated skirt and/or a cardigan, you probably don't belong in my wardrobe:

Cardigan: Target (similar)  Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar)
Tights: c/o Berkshire Hosiery  Shoes: Shoes of Prey (similar)

I'm happy to say these tights worked very well with my pleats and cardigan.  Basically, Berkshire tights are amazing and I can't say enough good about them.

Well, I guess I can say a few more things.  One, they're made in the USA, which is fantastic.  Two, they have an amazing selection of styles and a great size range; petite, regular, plus and even maternity.  And definitely long enough for us tall gals; again, I'm wearing the Easy On! Tights in size 1X/2X and they are more than long enough. And it's not just the basic black tights that are long enough; this particular tights is available in six different colors.  Even fun tights are available for giants; I also tried out the Berkshire Trend tights in Fishnet, and those also fit fabulously.

If you want to know more about Berkshire, or want to try them for yourself (you should, they're great!) visit their site at eberkshire.com and, you can get 15% off of your order with the code blogger15, now through December 16th, 2016.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Orange You Glad It's Spring?

I am.  Or, rather, I would be if it hadn't snowed yesterday and dropped below freezing last night.  I mean, it was so cold this morning that I was forced back into tights:

But, I can't complain too much because I paired those tights with my new orange skirt:

And a polka dot blouse:

Blouse: LOFT  Skirt: Ann Taylor
Blazer: Gap  Shoes: Via Spiga "Nalo"

Because orange and polka dots are two great things that look great together.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Well-Placed Medallions

As it turns out, my co-worker was right and it's actually pretty nice here so far this week.  However, I still have some outfits I wore during colder weather that I haven't posted.  So today you're getting an outfit from last week featuring a vintage scarf-print blouse:

Specifically, a vintage scarf-print blouse with some well-placed medallions:

I like to think the designer was trying to make a point that a top doesn't have to be low-cut to draw attention to the girls.  Or they just like medallion covered tatas.  Who knows?  The 80s were a crazy time.


Boob-enhancing pattern and all, I still love this blouse.  Scarf-print blouses just make me happy.  They're so over the top and sometimes boob-tastic, but still fun:

Top: thrifted vintage  Skirt: sold out LOFT (similar)
Tights: Assets (similar)  Boots: Franco Sarto "Eminent"

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Color Blocked

As much as I like this thrifted, color blocked sweater, I never wear it.  Because it is really, really hard for me to style with anything but jeans.  But, I think I may have finally figured it out with today's outfit:

Now, my jean wearing has been severely curtailed at my new job (boo!) but this sweater is wool and very, very warm so I feel like winter in Pittsburgh is it's time to shine.  So, eventually, I decided to try it with a suede skirt.


And I really do think it works:

Sweater: thrifted vintage (similar)  Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar)
Tights: WalMart  Boots: Michael Michael Kors (similar)

But, just in case it didn't, you can see that I added some fun, patterned tights to distract people from my sweater.



And I think that's the real takeaway here, Folks; when in doubt about your top, distract people with your legs.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings #24: The Library at Mount Char

Let me just start by saying that this is a fantastic book:

The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins

That being said, I don't think this is a book for everyone, in part because it was very different.  It wasn't like anything I had ever read before and I'm not even sure what genre it's supposed to be in.  One reviewer calls it "modern day hidden world fantasy" and that's a pretty good explanation.  Frankly, you can call it whatever you want, I just call it fantastic.

It takes place in an inter-dimensional (sort of) library (sort of) accessed through a house in a Virginia suburb.  There are twelve "librarians" in this library.  They were all selected by a man they call "Father" to study different disciplines at the library.  The main character, Carolyn, studies languages; all of the languages, living, dead, human and otherwise.  Other librarians specialize in war, medicine, travelling the lands of the dead and the animal kingdoms, among other disciplines.

When the story opens, Father is missing and the librarians are trying to figure out where he is and if he's even still alive.  In trying to do this, they have to venture out of the library into America for the first time since they entered the library as children.  Because they aren't familiar with America and it's social mores, they end up dressing rather peculiarly.  David, for example, the librarian of war, runs around covered in blood and naked except for a purple tutu.  And Michael, the librarian of animals, just runs around naked.

Carolyn, having spent more time in America than the others has a better concept of how to dress herself.  But, because they were all chosen as children, she doesn't necessarily have a better concept of how to dress herself as an adult.  Therefore her chosen outfit is a Christmas sweater and gold bike shorts.  Obviously Carolyn is my inspiration for today's Literary Styling what with the other options being nudity and tutus.


Now, I don't have gold bike shorts (I know, I too am surprised) or a Christmas sweater, but I do have a snow sweater:

And I figure camel and gold are in the same color family so I paired it with my camel skirt:

Snow Sweater: vintage Ralph Lauren (similar here, here, and here)
Skirt: sold out LOFT (similar here, similar longer version)  Tights: Target  Boots: Born "Sosie" (similar)

I added the white tights because white tights always feel a bit young to me.  And since Carolyn was a young child when she was taken to study at the library, I figured white tights fit the theme.  I mean, I know my 9-year old self would love this outfit.


But, enough about me and The Library at Mount Char.  What about you, Reader Friends?  What did you read last month?  Did it inspire you sartorially?  If so, please link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

A Good One

I am not wearing this today.  It's way, way too cold to wear this today.  No, I wore this outfit last week when it was close to 70:

Yes, that's right.  Almost 70 degrees in Pennsylvania.  In December.



Rather than complain, I took the opportunity to wear one of my new dresses:

Well, it's thrifted, so it's not new-new.  But, it's new to me and I'm rather fond of it.



I just think the print is so lovely:

I mean, you know how I feel about a dark floral:

Dress: handmade, thrifted  Hat: Nordstrom (similar)
Tights: Spanx  Flats: Bettye Muller (similar)

And this one is a good one.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Bright Tights

Sometimes I like to wear super-bright tights:

Even if only a sliver of the tights is visible, like in this outfit, it makes me happy to know that I have neon legs.



Because, with hot pink tights like these, a sliver is all you really need:

Just enough to make you happy.



I mean, sure, they also serve the purpose of picking up some pink in my sweater and therefore tying everything together:

 

Sweater: v. old Gap (similar)  Skirt: Land's End (similar)
Tights: HUE (similar)  Boots: Born Crown "Sosie" (similar)

But, I think we all know that I'm really just wearing them because they make me smile.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

The Mini

Recently I was once again lucky enough to be contacted by the lovely people at Long Tall Sally with the offer to review a few pieces from their current collection.  And, once again, I jumped at the chance.  There were a couple of pieces that I knew I wanted to try right off.  One was this mini skirt:

Aztec Jacquard Skirt - Image via Long Tall Sally

I don't wear a lot of mini skirts, but I couldn't resist the bold, graphic print and subtle shine of this skirt.  I think it's beautiful.  I also think that it's perfect for holiday parties.  However, I don't go to holiday parties.  I go to work.


But, I have good news!  Because the shine is subtle, this skirt is also good for work, especially when dressed down with an over-size sweater:

See?  Mostly, maybe even totally, work appropriate!  Hooray!!



In addition to being both party-ready and probably-work-ready, this skirt is fantastic because you can pair it with a variety of different colors.  It would look fabulous with a black top, of course, but I also really like it with this tobacco-colored (Gap's description, not mine) sweater.  I think it pairs well with the cream and black colorway:

Sweater: Gap  Skirt: c/o Long Tall Sally
Earrings: gifted (similar) Tights: Spanx  Boots: Franco Sarto "Eminent"

But, really, you can pair nearly any color with this skirt.  And, knowing me, I likely will at some point, because this skirt is both beautiful and versatile.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

No Nonsense, Well, Maybe Just a Little

But, not with the tights.  No, these tights were given to me by No Nonsense, and they are living up to their name:

The skirt, on the other hand, is straight up full of nonsense.  The darn thing insists on spinning around on my waist like it's being paid to do so.  Seriously, that front pocket seems to think it's a side pocket and is trying it's darnedest to get back home.

But, enough of the silly skirt.  Let's talk about these tights:

I'm not kidding folks, they are fantastic.

Now, this particular pair, while fabulously patterned, isn't especially thick, but for Fall, or mild winters, these are perfect.  Also perfect?  The fit.  I'd never tried No Nonsense tights because I tend to shy away from tights that have combined sizes, like L/XL, because I've found they're more on the "L" side than on the "XL" side and I am the opposite.  But, these tights fit beautifully.  They're long enough for my legs and didn't sag at all during the day.  They also didn't pinch my thighs, which is good because my thighs hate being pinched.

If your thighs also hate being pinched, I highly recommend No Nonsense tights.  Because, having No Nonsense on your legs gives you more time to deal with the nonsense of your skirt:

Nonsense Skirt: LOFT  Sweater: Woolovers (get 10% off with that link)
Tights: No Nonsense  Boots: Franco Sarto "Eminent"

And that takes a lot of energy.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Teal Floral, Pumpkin Cardigan

This is one of my favorite thrifted dresses because it works for spring, summer and fall, depending on the accessories it's paired with:

This works because the floral pattern contains several different colors, including the same pumpkin-orange as my cardigan:

For today's outfit, in addition to the a pumpkin cardigan, I also added colored tights and lace-up booties:

I'm not sure I'd pair the tights, boots and cardigans otherwise, but I love how the dress ties them all together:

Dress: thrifted vintage  Cardigan: LOFT
Belt: thrifted (similar)  Tights: Target (similar)  Boots: v. old Nine West (similar)

For me, that's one of the best things about prints; they give you an excuse to wear all the colors.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Duck, Duck, Grid

Gah.  Okay. Fine.  They're swans, not ducks:

But, "swan, swan, grid" doesn't even remotely sound like a thing and duck, duck, grid is fun.  So, duck, duck, grid it is:

And, whatever you call it, I think it's a fun play on black and white:

Blouse: Target (similar in navy)  Skirt: LOFT (similar pencil skirt)
Tights: Assets via Target (similar)  Shoes: Bettye Muller (similar)

Classic, but with a twist.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Not Burgundy and Red

Today's outfit looks like burgundy and red:

But, it's not.  I mean, yes, the skirt is red, but the sweater is not burgundy.  It's actually a blend of navy and red:

A blend that, from far away looks like burgundy.

Sweater: Banana Republic Skirt: thrifted vintage
Tights: Spanx  Boots: Splendid (similar)

Color is fun.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey