Teens and tights (it is bankrupting me!!)

[YouBelongWithMe]

I have two teen girls, seemingly unable to keep a pair of tights longer than a week between them.

They wear black tights to school and also like wearing tan tights with skirts.

Have tried Primark, M&S, nutmeg and now SNAG to no avail.

Is there any tried and tested tights that stand up to heavy-handed teens?!

Stating the obvious but do they keep their fingernails filed smooth and short? Otherwise there is no hope.

Sizing up can take the pressure off tights especially if the legs involved happen to be longer or thicker than average.

Rumour has it that putting new pairs of tights in the freezer for a while helps to prevent ladders.

I would have said Snag because they have done well for me and I usually put fingers through hoiking them up
The idea of keeping any leftover budget might make them take care of them?

Are trousers a uniform option? If so buy some, if they run out of tights they have to wear the trousers.

Even if they are saying they are annoyed about it, I'd still be suspicious that they are doing it on purpose. This seems to be a serious thread at the moment a d I've seen the girls at school ripping them.

I had to wear tights in the 90's a d hardly ever ripped them. I can't imagine tights are easier tights rip now. Try thick tights, a monthly allowance and trousers for when they run out of tights. Maybe they won't go through so many then.

Both have short nails - one is a guitar player and the other a nail biter.

I think i will give them a tights budget and tell them if there are holes, they will need to replace or keep wearing (or darn). They really don't like the holes so maybe it feeling like it's their money will do the trick

My 15 year old always has holes in ger tights mid thigh. They all seem to. She doesn't seem to bother so I just buy about 5 pairs a term then replace.

I buy a box of Primark tights most week. They are £3.50 a box so I don't mind the constant replacing. No good for the planet but I'm not going to spend the next 5 years streasing over tights.

The best tights I've tried were from White Stuff

Definitely!! I love snag tights and they last amazingly - I’ve had some pairs for a couple of years and wear them very regularly. I have several ‘school black’ pairs I cycle round during term. They’re doing something wrong here!

Maybe something like this?

My Kate Spade tights from TKMaxx are the best tights I’ve ever had, they’ve lasted 2 years, no bobbling or holes and haven’t lost their shape.

I bought some tight legging things from Temu (I know, I know) that are great. They’re skin colour lines and then look like 20 denier on the outside but are not tights material despite looking like it. An absolute game changer.

When I was a teen I used to get Jonathan Aston tights with a line down the back from George Henry Lee in Liverpool ( was part of the John Lewis group ) and I remember my mum complaining as they were about £10 a pair in the mid nineties 😳

I’ve always done the knickers/tights/knickers over the top thing and I’m 46 now and have never once had thrush.

maybe 20 denier is the problem op though I appreciate that’s all they will wear.

Buy bigger tights. Less yanking up.

if one leg gets a hole in cut that leg off. Cut the crotch out of them all. Then wear two mutilated tights together in a sort of tight - stocking mash up.

Hand wash in the shower after every wear. Never put them in the washing machine.

Wear trousers.

My DD is in y7 and now HAS to wear tights as part of her uniform.

The school uniform shop sold some (rediculously expensive) tights. I'm not sure of the brand but they are "dance tights". I couldnt be bothered to source from else where so reluctantly just bought 3 pairs. The shop lady told me they were really good and she had never had any complaints

I bought 3 pairs. One pair got a ladder in a couple of weeks ago in June.
The other 2 pairs are still in perfect condition, so these 2 pairs will have lasted the entire academic year and will hopefully be fine in September, and the other pair did 5 terms! She wears tights 4 times a week.

What is really annoying is that I popped back in to buy some more, including more for my daughter who is moving to Y7 in September, and she told me they had been discontinued.
So I bought the last 3 pairs that they had left in stock.
They said they are trying to source more "good ones" but im worried that they might not

I teach secondary and there seems to be a trend for holes in tights!

I mostly use M&S or Boots tights. They get small snags sometimes from desks but these never seem to become proper holes or ladders.

Nail biting might cause snagging as the nail isn't smooth.

I’ve always done the knickers/tights/knickers over the top thing and I’m 46 now and have never once had thrush.

Tights over cotton knickers without the second knickers is enough to set me off, never mind adding the second knickers. I have to buy the kind that have a diamond in the crotch and cut the diamond out to escape. Skirts were mandatory at my secondary school. I hated my uniform, really hated it.

I always bought the M&S tummy control tights. They really stay up!

They should definitely do the clear nail varnish on any incipient holes to stop them getting bigger - I always did this at school.

Sorry op but this is not accidental. They poke holes in them with their pens. A decent pair of opaque tights from snag will not just get a hole after a week. I buy both snag and better tights. They should last unless they are playing sports in them which I doubt!

My mum used to cut the whole leg off if she got a ladder/hole that couldn't be rescued with nail varnish and then wear two pairs of one legged tights to eke them out a bit longer.

80 den, cotton or bamboo fibre tights do the job for me. I've had some bamboo tights since 2016, just need to fix holes at the toes now and then.

Too warm for the summer, mind, and 80 den is probably not a teenage girl's favourite choice...

Sainsbury's tights used to be great, I've got pairs that are at least five years old no idea if they still are as Ive not had to rebuy

If you wear long skirts, stockings can be eked out the same way and don't cause thrush.

Wear trousers.

Wear longer skirts, so tights less likely to catch on furniture and mid-thigh holes don't show.

I was at school when mini-skirts and tights were just coming in. (But nothing like as short as girls wear their school skirts today.) We had wooden chairs with rough edges and the tights were aways catching on them. Tights were very expensive then in proportion to the money we had to spend, so we just used to sew them up as best we could.