Chances are that if you’ve ever been shopping for hosiery, you’ll have found yourself faced with the word ‘denier’. It’s a confusing little word if you’re not sure what it means, as you’ll often find the same brand and style of tights sold in different ‘deniers’ leaving you wondering what the difference is! Understanding denier is actually very important when choosing hosiery, so we’ve put together a quick guide to understanding what denier means and the impact that different deniers will have on your hosiery.
What Does Denier Mean?
Simply put, denier is the weight of the fabric that your hosiery is made from. If you have a pair of tights that are heavier and thicker to the touch, they’ll be a higher denier. Fine tights that are more fragile will be a lower denier.
What Do High Denier Tights Look Like?
If a pair of tights are a high denier, it means they’ll be made of a thicker fabric. You’ll be able to feel that the material is thicker and the tights will feel a little heavier. A high denier pair of tights will be labelled as either 40 Denier or more. The higher the denier, the thicker the tights will be, which means they’ll be warmer and much more opaque. While many high denier tights will be in plain colours, there are also many different patterns of high denier tights to choose from so your style need never suffer in the cold.
When Should I Wear High Denier Tights?
Due to their thicker nature, high denier tights are typically much warmer, making them perfect for wearing in the colder months. If you’re spending a lot of time outdoors in winter or inclement weather, choose a high denier such as 80 Denier tights to keep yourself cosy. We love pairing our winter outfits with a pair of high denier tights so we stay toasty and on-trend while out and about!
What Are The Benefits of High Denier Tights?
Higher denier doesn’t just mean that your tights will be warmer, it actually offers a few different benefits. If you’re looking to completely cover your natural skin tone, high denier tights will provide you with block coverage due to their opaque appearance. Being made from thicker material, you’ll also find that high denier tights are much stronger, making it more difficult to accidentally ladder, and they’re much more durable, meaning holes won’t wear in the feet so easily.
What Do Low Denier Tights Look Like?
Low denier tights are made from much thinner material, meaning they feel much lighter and finer to the touch. You’ll find that hosiery such as sheer tights and sheer stockings are made in low denier options ranging from around 5 denier to 30 denier. You’ll find that once a pair of tights hits the 10 denier or below threshold, they’ll be referred to as ‘ultra sheer’ meaning that you’ll hardly be able to feel or see that you’re wearing tights at all.
When Should I Wear Low Denier Tights?
Due to their thinner construction, low denier tights are much cooler. This makes them a perfect choice for warmer seasons such as summer when you want the visual benefits of tights without overheating. If you’re wanting to wear hosiery without it being obvious that you’re doing so, low denier tights can be a real style saver thanks to their low visibility.
What Are The Benefits of Low Denier Tights?
Low denier tights are see-through, so you can style them in a much more versatile way. You can wear low denier tights in an ultra sheer style which gives an almost airbrushed effect to your legs, or you can opt for low denier tights in black or brown for a lighter approach to coloured tights. They’re much cooler than opaque tights in mid to high deniers, meaning if you don’t want to go bare-legged in summer, you can simply wear low denier tights instead.
However, there are drawbacks to low denier tights – they’re much thinner, which means they’re much more delicate to handle. You’re much more likely to ladder or wear down a pair of low denier tights, so it’s always worth buying high-quality low denier tights that have ladder resistant properties or reinforced toes and gussets.
What Are Mid-Denier Tights?
For transitional seasons or everyday use, mid-denier tights are a great go-to to have in your hosiery arsenal. Often labelled as ‘semi sheer’ or ‘semi opaque’, mid-denier tights will be around 30-40 denier. They typically offer more of the benefits of opaque tights, meaning you can quite often find that semi-opaque tights are more than enough for day to day wear no matter what the season, but they are especially perfect for wearing on the cusp of Autumn and Spring.
You’ll find a range of deniers across all of our hosiery collections at Luxury-Legs, from tights and stockings to hold ups, so make sure you browse carefully and look for the perfect denier for you with confidence!
