Pantyhose & Tights

Today we’re showcasing a pair of Rangers green tights by Cecilia de Rafael courtesy of the Prettify Tights online store.

These 80 denier opaque tights are made of 90% Nylon and 10% Spandex weaved into gingham patterns that overlay each other to achieve different opacities and leave a stretch of skin visible. They have a very soft and comfortable texture and are especially suited for late Autumn and Winter seasons. Due to their intricate pattern they are perfect for minimal looks like, for example, a simple cut black dress and long boots.

These tights are available in three sizes and three different colors (Black, Anthracite and Bottella – or bottle green, which is the version featured on our photos). They have a silk gusset, ultraflat seamless waistband and invisibly reinforced heels & toes which makes them a great quality product for an inexpensive price.

Cecilia de Rafael is a Spanish hosiery brand founded in 1976 by Ramon Caballé Alvaro, so they have almost 40 years of experience in the field. Their products are manufactured in Italy and they regularly present their collections on important trade fairs such as the “International Exhibition of Jewelry and Accessories” in Madrid, the “Salon International de la Lingerie” in Paris and “Textillegprom” in Russia.

Prettify is a company based in Zurich, Switzerland which distributes affordable high quality hosiery through their online store. Be sure to pay them a visit, check out their awesome lookbook and follow their blog.

Cecilia de Rafael has been in the hosiery business since 1976, when it was founded by Ramón Caballé Álvaro — nearly 50 years in now, with production still based in Italy. The brand keeps a fairly high profile on the trade side, showing regularly at events like the International Exhibition of Jewelry and Accessories in Madrid and the Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris, which is part of why it’s stayed relevant in a market that has a lot of shorter-lived competitors.

Our take: an 80 denier gingham weave like this is a genuinely useful weight to have in a winter rotation, opaque enough for cold weather while the gingham overlay keeps it visually more interesting than a flat solid colour. If you’re shopping secondhand for something similar, checking that the gusset and waistband are still intact matters more on a heavier denier pair like this since they see more stretch and wear over a season of regular use.