It is traditional at this time of year to do a round-up of the best of the year but you might have noticed that the MyTights.com sale has started today with over a hundred great products at up to 50% off so I thought I would give you a little taste of the trends that will be big in 2012 along with some sale items that will keep you on trend this season and next.

Prints

Designers have been showering the catwalks with bold prints but, unlike the clashing patterns of seasons past, this time they are all together more matchy matchy.  Make this look work for well….. work by teaming a bold dog tooth print skirt or jacket with Falke’s Grand Pepita Patterned Tights (down 50% from £20 to £10) which have a dainty check that will match but still tone down your bolder upper half.

Have some fun also with Wolford’s Wilderness Tights (now £29.70).  If you want to match your prints in a more interesting way, their tiger print pattern looks great as a softer accompaniment to straighter more regular stripes on a top or skirt.

Ladylike

Good news for hosiery lovers everywhere is that we’ll still be rocking the ladylike look throughout 2012.  High necks and elegant tailoring means that you can let your legs take centre stage with this look.  Show off a well turned ankle with a slim elegant stiletto and the unusual back seam on Jonathan Aston’s Vegas Tights (now down 25%).

Elegant spotted tights look lovely with knee length skirts to add something pretty and feminine.  Wolford’s Bonny Dots Hold Ups (now down 25%) look the epitome of ladylike chic when they are worn with a pair of round toed courts or t-bar shoes.

Sporty

With the Olympics in London this year, the sporty trend is going to be really hot through Spring Summer 2012 but you can invest with confidence knowing that it will still look current well into Autumn Winter 2012.  Don’t worry this year’s sporty look is not about 80s style sweat bands it is all together more sophisticated than that.  This incarnation of the trend is about layering and soft tailoring with flashes of bright “go faster colour”.  Turquoise, orange and yellow make especially great highlight colours so, for spring summer, choose Trasparenze’s Monique Ankle Socks (£3.85) in Arancio (bright orange), Jonathan Aston’s Slouch Socks in lemon yellow (now 50% off) or Cinzia Knee High Socks (£5.25) in Verda Acqua (bold turquoise).   Be fashion forward and wear the trend now with colourful opaque tights like Jonathan Aston 40D Opaque Tights (£6.00) in Daffodil and Orange knowing you can break them out again when the weather cools later in the year.  Ok these socks and opaques are not in the sale but they are cheap as chips all year round and a really simple way to give the requisite colour splash so I decided they counted anyway.

Lots of these fantastic pieces and more will be featuring in our winter sale – some of them with up to 50% off.  Stock up now and you’ll have you’ll have your key looks for 2012 sorted at a barginous price.

If you are still not up to speed with your Christmas shopping, there is just enough time to order to get your gifts in time.  But while you are picking up the last minute bits and pieces, don’t forget to make sure you get some essentials for yourself.  You’ll need super snug layers for the wintery days (and nights) and glamorous sparkle and shine for Christmas Day and New Years Eve.  Whatever you are up to this Christmas, we’ve got everything from warm wool tights to glittering sparkle and embellishment to make sure you look the part for every festive occasion.

Christmas Eve

With everyone home for the holidays, Christmas Eve is the perfect time for catching up with old friends in the pub.  Christmas jumpers are huge this year as are classic winter patterns like fairisle.   Accessorise cozy knits with Pretty Polly’s Fairisle Backseam Tights – the woolly feel will keep you warm while the red back seam will slim and elongate your legs as well as giving them a subtle festive flavour.

Throw yourself into the festive mood with Celeste Stein’s Christmas Ornaments Tights.  Their pattern of baubles and tree decorations is fun and Chrismassy and way more original than a silly santa hat!  If baubles alone are not enough we also have this pattern in a glittery style which will give the Christmas tree a run for its money in the sparkle stakes!

If Christmas carolling is what you have planned for Christmas Eve then wrap up warm in some snugly wool tights.  Our Trasparenze Pechino Wool Tights are really cosy and their elegant ribbing is flattering on the leg.   In fact, I’ve found they are even warmer than trousers so you can sing your heart out without fear of chattering teeth!

Christmas Day

If you are in charge of Christmas dinner there is no need to compromise in the style stakes while you are in the kitchen.  Choose a classic shift dress and accessorise with sparkly jewellery and patterned tights and you have an outfit that will still look glam when you pop out of the kitchen in your pinny!  The Mary Portas and Charnos Baroque Floral Tights and the Jonathan Aston Taylor Tights have a sumptuous brocade pattern with an opulent shine that we think is just pure Christmas.

Boxing Day

By Boxing Day the urge to work off those excess calories often proves irresistible.  If you are heading out for a long walk in the country make sure you pick up some of Jonathan Aston’s Long Wool Mix Boot Over Knee Socks to keep your feet warm in your wellies.  Slouch them down below the knee and layer them over the Trasparenze Pechino Wool Tights you bought for Christmas Eve or get pick up some of the fantastically cosy and luxurious Falke Soft Merino Wool Tights.

New Years Eve

It’s the biggest night of the year and it is a great excuse to get out some serious glitter and shine.   We’ve made sure we are well stocked on sparkly little numbers like the Pretty Polly Embellished Tights and the Henry Holland Superstar Multi Tights.  If you really feel like pushing the boat out and making this a New Year’s Eve to remember, choose Bebaroque’s Lavender 80 denier Tights with their hand placed gems that will twinkle beautifully as the clock chimes midnight.  Sure they are pricy but I promise you they are the most beautiful tights you will ever own.  Invest now and you won’t be short of a party outfit pick me up throughout 2012.

Whether you need to wrap up warm or dazzle with amazing sparkle we’ve got you covered this Christmas.   Whether you are buying for yourself or still getting presents for others, you have just enough time to order to get your tights in time.  Order by 5pm on Tuesday to get your order in time by Standard delivery and by 5pm Thursday to get it by Special Delivery.

If you order with us regularly you may have noticed that, a few weeks after you place your order, you receive an email from Feefo asking what you thought of our service and the products you bought.  I regularly pour over the feedback our customers have left us to identify ways in which we can make our service even better, but the feedback you leave is not just for us as Feefo feedback appears next to every product on our website.   Your honest opinions and advice help other customers with their purchases so we are always really grateful to anyone that takes the time to pass on their views – positive or negative.

Now the cold is really starting to bite, I thought I would use Feefo to check up on which chunky, snuggly and woolly tights you have rated highest for the coldest of days.   So here is a selection of the top rated winter products, as chosen by you – our customers!

1) Trasparenze Gennifer Merino Wool Tights

Merino wool is one of nature’s wonder fibres.  It is ultra lightweight but fantastically warm so it’s the perfect fabric for winter tights.  It’s no wonder therefore that Trasparenze’s Gennifer Merino Wool Tights have been rated the top winter product.  I would really struggle to improve on this description from one of our Canadian customers:

“These merino tights are the most amazing! They are quite thin but very warm. In fact, they are warmer than a few thicker tights I have. It’s all about the wool content which is quite high (70%)….. The colours are gorgeous and I just recently placed another order for 3 additional colours. I highly recommend them to any woman who wants some pretty tights that provide great warmth.”

The great thing about these tights is that they come in a range of rich shades that are right on trend for the jewel tones that are in fashion this season.  This is how you stay really warm without compromising in the style stakes.

2) Levante Plain Wool Stockings

Wool stockings can be tricky to find on the high street and this may be one of the reasons that Levante’s Plain Wool Stockings have rated high on our list of favourite winter products.  If you love suspenders and stockings but you need something to keep the chill at bay in the winter these stockings are seriously useful.   As one customer remarked, “The stockings are fantastic – very light and VERY warm which is just what I wanted.”  Comments like “been wearing them for years and years” are really common and, looking over the customer feedback over the last few months, it is clear that customers who love this product find it hard to get elsewhere.

3) Falke Soft Merino Wool Tights

As I mentioned before, merino wool is the most amazing winter fabric so it’s not surprising to see another pair of merino wool tights in the top 5.  Falke’s Soft Merino Wool Tights are exceptional quality and are gorgeously soft – no hint of a wool itch with these tights.  As one customer put it, “These tights are wonderful. They fit beautifully and are very soft. I would definitely recommend them as a winter wardrobe must have.”

Falke also do a version of their soft merino wool tights with ribbing which is both flattering and stylish.  If you like Falke’s Soft Merino Tights, I’d highly recommend also checking out their Soft Merino Wool Ribbed Tights too!  Great for when you want to add a little texture to your outfit.

4) Falke Cotton Touch Tights

I know just from talking to customers how much they love Falke tights for their amazing quality so we weren’t surprised to see this brand pop up on the best rated list again.

Cotton tights are another “hard to find” product and our customers seem to rate the Falke Cotton Touch Tights for their super soft, cotton mix.  These tights will give you the look of an opaque but in a breathable fabric that is 43% cotton.  Great fit is something that Falke is famous for and I agree wholeheartedly with the customer who described these tights simply as “lightweight warmth and well fitted”.  They have a very faithful following, like this customer who said “I have bought a lot of pairs of these tights – can’t wear synthetic materials – & they are great, warm & comfortable, good range of colours & hard wearing. Have bought their footless tights too”

5) Pretty Polly Soft Opaque Tights

For a woolly finish at a super affordable price it has to be Pretty Polly’s Soft Opaque Tights.  It is s the soft texture that really delights customers and they are described as having a “lovely soft feel” by one customer.  Another exclaimed “I love the fit and they feel sooo soft. Perfect [to] wear with a short tunic top.”

Thanks again to everyone that has left feedback over the last few months we do pay attention to what you say and it definitely helps us to improve our service and product ranges.  It’s also really interested to look back over the last few months and see which products you love and return to again and again.  Keep your comments coming!

It might feel a little too early to be thinking about Christmas but, with only 5 weeks to go before the big day, it is definitely worth collecting your present ideas now.  I always kick off Christmas buying with presents for my family.  They are the people that you know best in the world so how is it you often find yourself scratching your head over what to buy for mums, dads, daughters and sisters? Here, I’ve put together some failsafe ideas that will help you find the perfect gifts for your nearest and dearest this Christmas.

Gifts for Teenagers

Buying for a teenage girl, be they your daughter, niece or sister can be pretty daunting.  Look like you have your finger on the fashion pulse by giving a pair of Henry Holland Pearly Suspender Tights which were recently pictured in Look magazine.  In fact, your teenager will be impressed with any of the tights from the House of Holland for Pretty Polly range.  Being worn by Rihanna and Jessie J has confirmed their über cool status so you can’t go wrong.   Alternatively, if your teenager enjoys the musical stylings of Cheryl Cole, Pamela Mann’s Straparound Tights and Jonathan Aston’s Casino Tights are a very close copy of the tights she wore for some of her recent performances.

Gifts for your Mum

Your mum will probably say she likes whatever you buy but it would take a superhuman effort not to fall in love with Pantherella’s cashmere socks.   The exceptionally high cashmere content makes Pantherella socks so soft and luxurious your mum will be dying to slip them on and put her feet up.  Our favourites are the Pantherella Women’s Cashmere Rib Ankle Socks which come in a gorgeous range of colours.

For mums we would also recommend checking out the Mary Portas and Charnos range for their super fashionable but restrained styles.  The Mary Portas and Charnos Sheer Spot Tights for example are right on trend but in a classic wearable style that looks great on everyone.  If you know your mum, like so many other women, is self conscious about her upper arms treat her to Mary Portas Armery.  Available in classic plain and glamorous lace, the fact that Armery has been flying off the MyTights.com shelves is proof that this brand new product is what women have been crying out for.  Your mum will love them.

Gifts for your Dad

You might think you are playing it safe by buying your dad socks for Christmas but it needn’t be a boring option.  Burlington’s colourful patterned Norfolk Men’s Socks are great for casual days but they also add a great dash of colour under a work suit (It’s also worth noting that, if you are buying for a dandyish younger brother or cousin, the sporty look of Burlington’s Dorset Men’s Socks is ultra fashionable right now).  Falke Silk Men’s Socks will give a little Bond-esque polish and represent a bit of simple luxury he would never think to buy for himself.

Beat the rush and get your present orders in early this Christmas.  Our fast despatch service will still help you out nearer the time but there is nothing like the smug feeling of knowing that Christmas is taken care of before December even begins!

Makeover queens Trinny and Susannah continue their bid for world domination – apparently they went down a storm in Tel Aviv and have made a second series in Holland.  These jet set ladies seem to have taken their particular intimate (and famously intimidating) brand of style advice global.

The format and the language may change but some things remain constant.  Trinny and Susannah continue to extol the virtues of good foundation underwear.  The MyTights.com team were lucky enough to meet the girls earlier this year to talk about their shapewear range and it is clear how much time and effort they have put into developing their products.    I’ll let Trinny and Susannah explain what lead them to team up with Cette to produce their own brand of “Magic Knickers” as they call them.

A couple of decades of turning their critical eyes to dressing our misshapen bodies has given them an unrivalled knowledge of women’s anxieties and problem areas.  Their best selling product is the Bum, Tum and Thigh Reducer.  A versatile shorts to waist product that flattens the tummy, pulls in the waist and firms your bottom and thighs.  Trinny and Susannah explain more about how (and where it works) in this short video:

Shorts to bra line shapewear is often no good for shorter skirts but Trinny and Susannah’s Tummy Flattening Bikini Brief with its high leg deals with this problem.  It’s also a great product to wear under trousers as the girls will explain in this video:

If you have a big bust you will know the frustration of those stubborn rolls that appear on your back around the braline.  Trinny and Susannah have designed their All in One Body Smoother and the All in one Body Shaper to come high up the back to smooth out those annoying lumps and bumps.

Even without the strong shaping qualities, seam free underwear that doesn’t cut in or create bulges and rolls will immediately make you look and feel slimmer.  However, the effective waist cinching, tummy flattening not to mention the bottom and thigh firming will really make you look like you have dropped a dress size.  What is not mentioned in these videos is that these products also provides support for the lower back which will improve posture.  It might be the oldest trick in the book but, as those “Before” and “After” photos that Trinny and Susannah use to such great effect will testify, just standing up straight will instantly make you look slimmer.  As Trinny and Susannah would say, the outfit is important but it is only ever as good as its foundations.  Go on, give yourself a Magic Knicker makeover.

New Spanx products are in and we have had a fun couple of days trying them on and checking out the results.  I really can’t remember when Spanx has presented us with such a fantastic range of new and innovative products so I thought it was worth giving you all the low down on the new ranges.  From girl shorts that will boost your bottom and leggings that will give you a perfect profile to t-shirts and tops that look stylish whilst smoothing your torso – Spanx have outdone themselves this season!

Booty Boosting

Our favourite addition to our Spanx collection is the Spanx Booty Booster Short.  This is no ordinary shaping short – though it will of course flatten and firm in all the right places.  Removable pads, that Spanx have called “butt-lets”, sit in two pockets on the rear to give you the rounded derriere that J-Lo would be jealous of.  It sounds mad but we’ve tried it ourselves, the effect is phenomenal and very, very natural looking.  People pay thousands for surgery to get this look – we are offering it pain and effort free for just £68.

On top control

Spanx moves from your underwear drawer to your wardrobe with the On Top and In Control Collection which is made to be shown off. These velvety soft, long and short sleeved scoop neck tops are more for smoothing than sculpting the body. Nevertheless you will get a medium level of control from the invisible panels which flatten tummies, pull in waists and smooth out lumps and bumps.  The Spanx On Top and In Control Cap Sleeve Scoop Neck and Spanx On Top and In Control Elbow Length Scoop Neck are cut in classic styles that flatter every body shape.    They do fit very closely so make the most of the on top slimming effect by contrasting with wide legged trousers

or full gathered skirts.  They also make great undershirts to smooth out your profile with other tops and shirts.

Look at me leggings

We are expecting Spanx’s new Look at Me Leggings to be best sellers.  The trend for leggings and footless tights doesn’t look like it is going away so shaping leggings that will firm your bottom and give your legs a shapely profile have got to be wardrobe essentials.  Good and thick so you can wear them with t-shirts as well as dresses they come in regular and high waisted versions so there is something for every outfit.

Undie-tectable

The new Undie-tectable range is probably Spanx’s most comfortable and discreet underwear range yet.  Offering light to medium support, the soft cotton feel fabric fits like a second skin with a lightweight feel that even shapewear novices will feel comfy in all day.  Undie-tectable doesn’t look like shapewear either as the control zones that pull in the waist and firm the body are invisible.  We’ve tipped the Undie-tectable Adjustable Strap Bodysuit as a bestseller for it’s fantastic all over shaping and stylish looks.

I thought we already had a shaping solution for every occasion but once again Spanx have proved that they know us even better than we know ourselves!  Leggings that give your figure a boost, butt boosting shorts and lightweight and discreet shaping for underneath and outside your clothes – Spanx seem boundlessly cleaver and creative.  If you love these new products, keep an eye on the website in the New Year as there will be even more exciting new ranges.