The best tights are the ones you forget you are wearing. We judge a pair on three things: whether the denier is right for the occasion, what yarn it is knit from, and whether the waistband stays put. Whilst price can help determine quality, the construction is really what will tell you everything you need to know.
This guide covers how to read denier, what separates a pair that lasts from one that ladders on the first wear, and which Heist tights answer which need. Every pair below is knit as a single piece in Italy, with a hand-sewn adaptive waistband that does not dig or roll.
How to judge a pair of tights
Most tights are made as two tubes sewn together, with a seam down the middle of the waistband that restricts stretch and causes visible lines under clothes. Heist knits each pair as a single piece, so the waistband moves with you and holds its place. That is the difference between a pair you pull up all day and one you do not think about.
Then look at the yarn. Most standard tights use around 500 spirals of nylon wrapped around an elastane core. Ours use 5,000 spirals per inch, the equivalent of a higher thread count in fabric. The result is a yarn that is softer, stronger and far more resistant to damage, which is why cheap pairs ladder early. Heist double-covers its yarns, so the fibre holds. Our sheers also carry anti-snag fusion technology, where the yarn is set under heat: if it catches, it does not run. For the full weight-by-weight breakdown, read our guide to denier decoded.
The pairs worth knowing
The Nude
18 denier, sheer. Seven shades, derived from data from 100,000 women. Hidden toe seam, seamless waistband.
Good for: bare-leg days when you still want a polished finish.
The Thirty-Five
35 denier, semi-sheer. Knit from 68% recycled polyamide (Q-Nova® by Fulgar) and 32% elastane. Seamless, gusset-free, with the hand-sewn adaptive waistband.
Good for: the working week, coverage without full opacity.
The Sixty
60 denier, opaque. Knit from Q-Nova® recycled polyamide, seamless and gusset-free. The waistband does not dig or roll, and the leg does not sag by midday.
Good for: the pair you reach for most, autumn through spring.
Durable or disposable: what the price hides
A £3 pair and a £34 pair can look identical on the shelf. The difference shows on the tenth wear, when one has thinned at the thigh and laddered at the knee and the other has not. Durability is knit in, through double-covered yarns and anti-snag fusion, not added at the till.
This is the case for one good pair over three cheap ones: a lower cost per wear, and a leg that looks the same in March as it did in September. We make the longer argument in why Heist tights are the most durable and in are expensive tights worth it.
Why a Heist pair stays up and lasts
Two things separate a pair you keep from a pair you bin. The first is the waistband. Ours is hand-sewn and adaptive, so it sits flat at the waist with no digging, no rolling, no sagging. The second is the knit. We tested 196 samples on 67 women over a year of development to get the fit and durability right, then knit every pair as a single piece with one seam under the toe.
Wear it out over a season and the maths follows. A pair worn twice a week for a year works out at pennies a wear, and it still holds its colour and its shape at the end of it. That is what good tights should do, and what the cheap ones cannot.
The two pairs that cover most of the year
If you buy only two, buy The Sixty in black and a sheer nude. The opaque carries a dress and boots from autumn to spring. The nude, in the right shade, reads as bare skin under a summer dress while still giving a finish. Between them they handle most of what the calendar throws at you.
Warm months do not rule tights out. A sheer weight breathes and sits light on the leg. We cover how in how to wear tights in summer, and for opaque weights specifically, in our guide to opaque tights.
Best tights in the UK: your questions answered
What are the best tights in the UK?
The best tights are the ones with the construction to last: a seamless single-piece knit, a hand-sewn adaptive waistband, and double-covered yarns that resist laddering. Heist knits every pair in Italy to that standard. For most people the pair to start with is The Sixty, a 60 denier opaque, with a sheer nude alongside it.
What does denier mean in tights?
Denier measures the density of the knit, and with it the opacity. Sheer sits at 8 to 25 denier, semi-sheer at 30 to 50, opaque at 60 and above. A higher denier is warmer and more covering, not more restrictive. Our denier guide walks through every weight.
How can you tell if tights are good quality?
Check the waistband and the yarn. A good waistband is seamless and sits flat without a hard band that digs or rolls. Good yarn is double-covered, so it holds rather than ladders. If a pair is made as two tubes with a seam up the waist, it will work loose through the day.
Are expensive tights worth it?
On cost per wear, yes. A pair that lasts a season of twice-weekly wear costs pennies each time and holds its shape throughout. Three cheap pairs that ladder inside a month cost more and look worse. We set it out in full in are expensive tights worth it.
What are the most durable tights?
Durable tights use double-covered yarns and, in the sheers, anti-snag fusion technology that sets the yarn so a catch does not run. Heist tights are made this way across the range. There is more on the testing behind it in why Heist tights are the most durable.
Where are the best tights made?
Italy remains the home of fine hosiery, and Heist knits its tights there from recycled yarns. Made in Italy is not a badge on its own, but paired with a single-piece knit and an adaptive waistband, it is a fair marker of a pair made to last.
Words by The Heist Team.
