Fall is Finally Upon Us... Tights!

Autumn is a strange season here in Colorado. It often seems to go from 85-95F degrees to 30F overnight (basically, from Summer to Winter within a week or two). It is unfortunate, because spring and fall are two of the best times of the year most places. I absolutely love the in between time of color changes and crisp mornings. Just this week, the tree leaves have begun to change color here (and even began to fall off the trees), and it reminded me that I get to wear tights and scarves again. Yay!

While I would honestly rather be sockless and completely barefoot any day of the week, I am excited about the color opportunities my tights and knee socks collection offer. I also realized that it took me some time to figure out where I could actually purchase tights that would fit my larger lower half. Unfortunately for me, weight charts have little to do with whether or not tights will fit me because a large portion of my weight is carried through my hips, thighs, and legs, rendering the weight charts virtually useless.

One of the BEST places I love to buy tights is from We Love Colors. While the actual establishment is in Florida, making it an unlikely place for me to travel to buy some tights, I am fortunate that they have a website.  They have a slew of choices, ranging from the tamer charcoals and browns

Charcoal color
* Image from We Love Colors

Brown color
*Image from We Love Colors

to more bold choices such as their Neon Pink color or the bright Kelly Green choice below, and everything in between.

Neon Pink color
*Image from We Love Colors

Kelly Green color
*Image from We Love Colors

They even have options in color swirls, or what they call 'splash' pattern tights. I haven't been bold enough to try those yet (a bit too much for my tastes), but there are definitely some interesting choices to make. The one below doesn't have a name, but is simply titled '#2132.'

#2132 of the Splash Pattern tights
*Image from We Love Colors

One of the nicest things about We Love Colors is that they come in a range of sizes that will fit individuals from as small at 4'11, 90 lbs, up to someone who is 6'0, 375 lbs. While not all of their options come in all sizes, they have a huge range for the larger sized woman, and I was thankful to find them a few years ago. The prices seem to be a bit on the steep side to me, and the fabric is thinner than I'd prefer (because it has a nylon mix to give them more stretch, I presume), but I've had some pairs that have lasted through multiple seasons. Having some fun, colorful options in tights is really great for any woman, and $5 shipping, no matter how many pair you order, well, that's just a deal waiting to happen.

Another tights mission I had set out on was to find larger sized sweater tights. Sometimes, a girl just wants to be warm, after all.  I had a really tough go of this, looking for months (literally) to find some that would work, but ultimately found some last year on the Jessica London website. They've also brought them back again this year, so good news for those looking to get some now.

Chocolate colored sweater tights
*Image from Jessica London

This year, these come in the Chocolate color shown above, a Charcoal, a Black, and a Navy color. While it would be nice to have some lighter colored options as well, I am grateful that someone is making these in a suitable size for larger ladies.  As a forewarning to anyone with larger than proportionate legs, these definitely run to the snug side, so you may want to go up a size or even two, depending on your needs. The size chart for these states that they will fit anyone from 4'11, 150 lbs up to someone who is  5'9, 335 lbs, but again, they do run snugger it seems, so perhaps someone even smaller could wear these.

For anyone not in need of larger sizes in sweater tights, one of my favorite places to look is Sock Dreams, and they even carry some of their products in larger sizes, making thicker/muscular calved ladies happy too!  Everything from wool tights to crochet tights to knee highs can be found here. I always wish that their Cable Stitch tights came in a larger size, because they are so cute.

Cable Stitch tights, in off white
*Image from Sock Dreams

Even though the tights don't come in larger sizes, there are other choices for the thick of calf. I actually own the Cherry Blossom knee socks shown below. They will stretch up to 19" calf circumference and the top band will stretch to about 20".

Sock it To Me Cherry Blossom knee highs
*Image from Sock Dreams

I also own several other models from Sock Dreams, and have been very happy with my purchases from them. I have discovered though that some of their socks tend to say they fit larger calves, but don't actually stretch as much as the given calf size, but overall, if I stick with more stretchy/elastic styled socks, I'm not disappointed. Based out of Portland, Oregon, they ship very quickly and I've never waited more than a few days to get my package from them. The best part? They have completely free shipping (or upgradeable options for express shipping)!

Since I'm on the larger calf subject, it's often difficult to find boots when one has larger or more muscular calves. Though they certainly aren't the least expensive option, Duo Boots has been a favorite shopping spot for me. Their boots are high quality, semi-custom sized, that come from England. It can be a bit scary to order items from another country, but I haven't had issue with their boots fitting my legs. From 30 cm to 50 cm, the calf size ranges are fabulous for those with little legs and those with larger legs. I have their Bern boot in two colors, and have ordered other options from them as well over the years.

Bern boot from DUO Boots
*Image from DUO Boots

I have this boot in the color pictured (which is actually a bit lighter in person than it appears on their website, as well as a cranberry color. Again, they are not inexpensive choices, but the quality is high and well worth the cost for a boot that can last for many, many years if well maintained.

While I am aware there are other options available, I appreciate the variety offered by the websites/businesses I've listed, and have had good experiences purchasing from them. Bring on the autumn season... my tights and boots are ready to go!