Russian Radio Show – Pantyhose Battle of OMSA and Filodoro brands, Part 2

seamless pantyhose, 40 den, Superlativa 40 by OMSA on my legs

A photo of Jessica in OMSA pantyhose

Isn’t it rare to hear a good show on the radio? Official Russian radio station Mayak (means Lighthouse) had this show (Top Russia) out with Sergey Stillavin as a host. They would review some product each week and even do voting competitions. For whatever reason this show no longer exists.

I personally disliked how Sergey addressed his colleague, Victoria, about her not wearing pantyhose and thus not being like the rest of the women. There is a reference to that here (Mean criticism or blunt truth?). The caller Alla from Moscow also in a sense disappointed me, she is a typical Muscovite who almost caught up to all the American women. Women from other parts of Russia do whatever they can in order to keep their man happy.

Read Part 1 – Pantyhose Brand Comparison on Russian Radio Mayak – Sisi, Filodoro, Omsa, Golden Lady, and Glamour

 

Now only 2 brands made it into semi-finals — OMSA and Filodoro.

 

Stillavin: Last week we had 5 contestants and now we are selecting the finalists. We were talking about pantyhose and stockings too. Out of 5 contestants the ones that made it to the finals are Filodoro and OMSA. Please express your opinion. Women and hosiery sales people are especially welcome. Which brand out of the two is best?

 

Stillavin: A week ago we found out that Victoria Kolosova doesn’t use pantyhose, they are too tight on her.

 

Victoria: They are not too tight, they are itchy.

 

Stillavin: Could that be because you don’t shave your legs, Victoria?

 

Victoria: Sure, Sergey. Do you think I should walk around hairy like an orangutan?

 

Stillavin: Now we are choosing at TopRussia the best brand of hosiery in Russia. OMSA against Filodoro. Left behind are Golden Lady, Si Si, and the last place is for the most non-glamorous brand called Glamour. Who should win today, OMSA or Filodoro? Ladies, please voice your opinion and explain, is it the price that matters or some kind of durability? I remember one week ago a lady called and said that she wears one pair of pantyhose for 3 weeks. This resulted in lots of comments from women, they don’t believe her, say it’s impossible.

 

Vahidov: Listen, today I found official classification of pantyhose in Russia.

 

Stillavin: Let’s listen to Alla for her expert opinion and then the classification. Good morning, Alla! Tell us, Filodoro or OMSA? What’s better?

 

Alla (caller, 27 yrs old, Moscow): Neither! Sorry, but I am with Victoria on this one. You said that pantyhose itch and for me they itch too. Even if they don’t itch like OMSA Velour, they fall down, their elasticity is not good enough. What is the point of all these new technologies? For this reason I don’t like pantyhose.

 

Victoria: Correct!

 

Alla (caller, 27 yrs old, Moscow): But if I would be to choose between Filodoro and OMSA, I’d say OMSA. There are some that I use when I need to wear a skirt.

 

Stillavin: Wear it purely for the man? Like let’s say on New Year’s Eve?

 

Alla (caller, 27 yrs old, Moscow): No, I don’t agree to such sacrifices for a man.

 

Vahidov: Listen (about classification), pantyhose is classified by the type of finish, such as bleached, evenly coloured, fast-knitted. Classified by the type of knitting: smoothly knitted, plastic knitting, platinized, fleece, jaccard, or pressed method. Depending on the structure, such as pantyhose with briefs and without briefs. I don’t even know what it is!

 

Victoria: Briefs support part of the buttocks.

 

Vahidov: There are winter pantyhose, fishnet, shiny. Even in the classification there is a type called “sexy”.

 

Victoria:  “Sexy”? Is that with holes in them?

 

Stillavin: Just with a word “Sexy” written on them.

 

Vahidov: And even a more interesting point, there is pantyhose that is machine-knitted and hand-knitted. I can’t imagine, how can someone knit pantyhose by hand?

There is also classification by occasion – regular wear, sporty, medical. Regular wear pantyhose can be either for daily wear or for dressy wear. Listen, that’s a nightmare!

 

Stillavin: We have only 4 minutes left until the end of the voting. I am so sad that Victoria is not an expert in pantyhose. She is not like other women, you see. She’s got a squeaky voice and an owl’s glance.

 

Victoria: But you still can’t leave me alone. “Owl’s Glance”…

 

Stillavin: So they ask me why I treat Victoria like this. But how else can I treat her? She doesn’t wear pantyhose, doesn’t put on nail polish, doesn’t wear lipstick. She only puts on some powder in the morning and goes straight to work.

 

Vahidov: (towards Victoria) Your husband doesn’t like pantyhose?

 

Victoria: I haven’t noticed him wearing it.

 

Vahidov: Victoria, pantyhose is synthetic, correct?

 

Victoria: Of course!

 

Vahidov: Well, if it’s synthetic, will it absorb women’s sweat?

 

Stillavin: Women don’t sweat at all.

 

Vahidov: Usually they sweat only behind their knees.

 

Vladimir Pastuhov: By the way, about sweat and buying pantyhose before winter there are some recommendations. Pantyhose should contain wool, cotton, and lycra (without it pantyhose will sag). Today microfiber pantyhose are very popular – these are polyamide threads consisting of a huge number of thin threads. Such pantyhose are soft, smooth, and velvety. They are warm and durable, but their price is higher. Acrylic pantyhose are not expensive, they are soft and warm, but they fringe fast and lose their good appearance. Such pantyhose are ideal for wearing under pants.

 

Vahidov: Just got a message from Samara. She says both brands are so-so, cheap and not durable. This is about OMSA and Filodoro that ended up in the semi-final. She prefers stockings instead of pantyhose when she wears a dress or a skirt. In the middle of cold winter only tough Russian women can wear pantyhose. Is this true?

 

Stillavin: All the rest wear leggings!

 

Vladimir Pastuhov: And lastly, when choosing pantyhose it’s important to see if they look clean and if the package is intact, if all the information about the company / denier /size / colour is present. Also, pay attention to the smell of the product. (Maybe they mean to avoid second hand pantyhose?)

 

Victoria: Pantyhose don’t emit any smell through the package.

 

Vladimir Pastuhov: Pay attention to the seams, they must be flat and when stretched they should almost disappear.

 

Stillavin: OK,guys, today OMSA is winning and Filodoro is losing! We can already congratulate OMSA brand! Or, whoever produces OMSA brand…

 

Vahidov: Golden Lady produces OMSA!

 

 

Mean criticism or blunt truth?

“they ask me why I treat Victoria like this. But how else can I treat her? She doesn’t wear pantyhose, doesn’t put on nail polish, doesn’t wear lipstick. She only puts on some powder in the morning and goes straight to work.”

appearance, women, lookThis is a translated fragment from a Russian talk show doing a brand comparison on pantyhose. The host of the show, Sergei Stillavin, seemed to be joking around and criticized another member, Victoria, for not being like the rest of the women.

I haven’t uploaded this part of the show yet, only managed to get part 1 up on the blog. This show chooses a product or service to review and compare, anything from renovation materials to candy brands.

Maybe because the host was so blunt while on air this show no longer exists as there were some complaints.

After I read it, I thought it was a mean thing to say out loud, but right away thought that I am not too far away from how he describes Victoria. Yes, I was wearing pantyhose, but I had no nail polish and no lipstick. Only some powder, just like her.

I got a sense of discomfort deep inside, I don’t even know why. So after I took a nice bubble bath I put on some pink nail polish on my toes. Am I now closer to being like the rest of the women according to Sergei’s comment?

For past few weeks I’ve been quite stressed out. I jump out of bed and think of all the work I need to do. Sometimes I forget about nail polish. Sometimes I even forget that I have nails to begin with. It never gets to a point that I’ll show up in jeans and runners somewhere in the city, but for styling like hair and make up I may not have any time. While reading  Sergei’s comments I got a bit of wake up call.

In a strange way I agree that small touches like polished shoes, neat hair, make up, and properly sized and pressed clothing can make a big difference.  I can totally see some feminists say that it doesn’t count, but we do get judged and therefore treated based on our appearance.

Is white pantyhose still trendy?

You’ll probably agree with me, but white is the toughest colour to see on people in terms of hosiery. It’s so rare! It could be a fun colour for the summer though if worn properly.

I saw this photoshoot from another blogger and thought to share it with you. She looks so pretty and somehow managed to make her whole outfit work out perfectly.

fun white pantyhose 1

fun white pantyhose 2 fun white pantyhose 3

fun white pantyhose 4

She is Russian and I think she lives around there. But in my city (Vancouver, BC) for example such outfit could perhaps only be seen on Asian girls.

Russian beauty and Olympic athlete Maria Komissarova broke her back in Sochi

Dear Fantasy Stockings readers, I am overcome with grief to hear that this young woman, Maria Komissarova, will no longer compete in the Olympics because she broke her back during her training.

It was so serious that she needed an immediate operation on the spot. She will need another operation in two weeks.  I put more information about her condition here, on my more tech-oriented blog – Maria Komissarova Injured.

I wish her to recover as soon as possible!

This photoshoot that you see below she did 1 year before the Olympics and she dedicated it to her boyfriend.

Maria Komissarova in lingerie backseam stockings Russian skierMaria Komissarova in lingerie Russian skier suffers spinal injuryMaria Komissarova in lingerie Russian skierMaria Komissarova in lingerie stockings garter belt Russian skierMaria Komissarova in swimsuit posing Sochi OlympicsMaria Komissarova in lingerie stockings Russian skierMaria Komissarova in swimsuit posing Sochi Olympics athlete

What a spirit!  Even for this lingerie photoshoot she was at the hospital recovering from another injury to her leg, but she “ran away” from the hospital to do the photo session.

#1 Pantyhose Pet Peeve – Sagging

These are photos from some Russian concert with promo girls in short outfits dancing to the music.  Most likely the weather was so cold that they needed to keep their jackets on and wear pantyhose so they don’t freeze.

But do you notice that one of the girls (the one in the orange red jacket) is having problems with her pantyhose falling below her skirt?  Uncomfortable and embarrassing.

The blondie model was smarter, she put on control top pantyhose that usually stays up better.  However her hemline failed to cover the lines, thus taking away from her glamorous look.

The best way to avoid two of the above scenarios is to get quality grands that are sheer to waist and elastic.  If it is design right and has a proper fit and waistband, it should not sag or drop like that.

Russian party girls in pantyhose 2

Russian party girls in pantyhose 3 Russian party girls in pantyhose 4 Russian party girls in pantyhose

*Dear friends, please keep in mind that the funding for this blog comes from the shop section. Please have a look at it.*

Exotic Pets – for love or for show?

by Helene, from Belarus

Savannah Breed Cat vs Common Barn Cat

…we would have never wanted  to make a show out of their life, or to tell how much they cost because they were family members, not things to buy and sell. (Helene, about her cats)

Savannah cat and beautiful owner in pantyhose

A cat that costs 8000 dollars? Would you like one? Insane, you would say, though still the thought might stay somewhere deep in your mind and  come out from time to time. A cat that costs 8000 dollars. Hmm, and what kind of animal it shall be? With golden fur and diamond eyes? If you are interested, just have a look at this scenario (the link to the original video is below).

Nice peaceful animal, looks like a properly-cared for pet. And beside this beautiful animal there is a beautiful woman, dressed in expensive clothes, with a proper make-up and hair style. But the most surprising thing is that this lady is wearing sheer tights! And the cat even doesn’t try to tear them! Actually, little bit strange for a proper cat, isn’t it? Immediately like a flash, a memory from my childhood. A small and a very sweet kitten is playing in the grass, I come up to this wonderful creature and he immediately climbs up my leg instead of a tree. Doesn’t matter that it is summer actually and I even do not wear tights or trousers.  My leg seems to be quite good for his sharp nails. He is extremely happy, and I have some red bleeding scratches. If I was wearing tights, like this lady with her cat, I sure would be much more disappointed, as this would add to my injury also money loss.

Savannah cat and beautiful owner in pantyhose 2Awful? I would not say so, this is just a normal experience of a normal child who loved this crazy small creature even though this kitten didn’t cost 8000 dollars. Actually, he didn’t cost any money, but surely he was more valuable than any treasure in the world. Valuable, because his mother was the favourite cat of the family, who was able to catch mice and play with kids, who always came to give a hug when her master was feeling not good, who wasn’t afraid to fight with other cats when they were coming to her yard. And we would have never wanted  to make a show out of their life, or to tell how much they cost  because they were family members, not things to buy and sell. They were not for creating the image, but for life. They were fighters and would never accept eating artificial food in front of camera just because their master wants to show how she cares. They were real.
So, dear pretty lady, properly dressed, with cared face and in thin tights, would you like to be shown like in a zoo? Or would you like that somebody feeds you in front of camera for a show, even though it is your favourite food? Or maybe somebody shall tell how cheap or expensive you are? Put yourself in place of the cat which you love so much. Do you love it as a family member or as an expensive thing? This is the question.

Source: Russian talk show http://youtu.be/G9pZOkMaJfU

Brief scenario: A rich Russian housewife, the mother of 3 children, is showing off her new luxury accessory – an exotic pet.  Such cat is obtained by crossing a house cat with a serval wild cat.

*Dear friends, please keep in mind that the funding for this blog comes from the shop section. Please have a look at it.*

Elka accused of plagiarism of Hot Hot Heat song “Shame On You”

elka singer in a pink dressRecently I’ve been visiting Victoria, BC for the weekend.  It’s a city on Vancouver island, full of local artists.  Maybe I would not even mention this fact, but coincidentally I was just reading about how their local band called Hot Hot Heat got one of their songs copied by a famous European singer.

Russian/Ukrainian singer, who goes under the name of Elka (pronounced Yolka), for the past two years gained enormous popularity in former USSR for her song called “Provence”.  But she is now accused of plagiarism, the chorus of her song is almost identical to the tune from the Hot Hot Heat song called “Shame On You”.

You can listen to the music in the video below where they alternate between the Canadian original and the song that is thought to be the knock off.  Obviously, Elka completely denies such accusations and says that the song came to her composer from outer space by SMS.

elka singer in white socksCopyright violations make many of us upset, but think of it this way, you’d probably would never find out about this Hot Hot Heat song if a popular singer wouldn’t snatch it, as they say.

But why is it that the same tune performed by Elka got so much attention and the original didn’t?  Perhaps because of her beautiful video clip, uplifting lyrics (her song is about her exciting anticipation of her trip tomorrow to the suburbs of Paris), and of course her large promotional budget.

Would you say that it is possible that Elka’s composer didn’t actually copy that song and simply came up with such a similar tune?  I’d love to hear your opinion.

 

elka under water

elka singer in Kazan in pantyhose

elka singer in Kazan

 

Stoli Russian Vodka Boycott in LGTB Community

Stoli Russian vodka boycott in Vancouver

Dear readers, as Vancouver’s Pride Parade is about to go on this week, the hype around the Russian vodka boycott is getting heated in our city.  I would like to present you with a response from Lena who lives in Belarus as an example of a fresh perspective on the topic.

 

by Lena, Belarus

Putin, Russian Vodka and Gays

Putin, Russian vodka and gays, what is the connection? If you ask this question nowadays, people may think that you are completely ignorant or you live on an uninhabited island. Russia issued anti-gay laws, that caused protests in America and activists suggested to boycott Russian vodka. Sounds ridiculous, but this is the truth.

Here we do not talk about sexual minorities. Maybe because there are not so many of them. By the way, just to specify “Here” means not in Russia. I am from Belarus. And here we really do not pay special attention to sexual minorities. People like millions of others, they work, eat, drink, relax… usual activities. We do not see any reason to speak about them too much or to forbid them to live. Politicians organize parades and shows to honor themselves. Why not gays then? I don’t think they are worse. But if you think so, you can give me reasons why.

I also do not understand what this anti-gay law is for. Why then not anti-criminals law? Criminals who took people`s lives are not forbidden, they stay in prison, eat and drink for money that we pay as taxes.

Well, Putin knows better, maybe gays are more dangerous that criminals. Here we have the same culture as Russia, I wouldn’t say that we are more democratic or more developed. We have the same religion, the same traditions. But we judge people according to their personality, their attitude to us, not by their nation or race or whether they belong to sexual minority or not.

Now about vodka. How is vodka connected with gays and Russian legislation? Completely different thing is Olympic Games in Sochi. This for sure would have influence. But I do not think that such kind of boycott can be supported by majority of people. Russia have always been and still is a great country with strong traditions and unique culture, and visiting Olympic Games can be a good reason for many foreigners to discover Russia. America can boycott the Olympic Games, but since it’s Europe here, and Europeans will gladly use such an opportunity.

But right, if Olympic Games are boycotted, this will be a good reason for Russia to think about gays once more. Though again gays will be accused, as nobody would accuse for this the Russian government. If any kind of boycotting will make the Russian government change their mind? I do not think, so, they for sure were ready for protests. At least they could forecast that there will be unsatisfied people.

Ah, by the way, again to vodka. I don’t think that boycotting of Russian vodka Stolichnaya will support the Russian gays or will make the Russian government think. It would be more logical to boycott Russian products rather than Latvian, as Stolichnaya is neither produced nor bottled in Russia any more. Anyway, the Russian government will be grateful for such protests as they wanted to get that brand back. That is why before running to streets and yelling about protests maybe better to ask yourself a question: who will have the main profit from it? In this case this is Russia who will take the main advantage.

Davie street rainbow pavement for Vancouver Pride Week 2013

Rainbow pavement on the intersection of Bute and Davie in Vancouver in the spirit of Pride Week.

 

Trying on a Russian Pantyhose Brand Gracia

I just returned from my trip to Europe, wearing on my flight back for the first time a pair of Russian pantyhose of Gracia (Грация) brand.  You can learn more about my trip through in my pantyhose diary if you’d like.

Some people try exotic foods when they travel, I try exotic pantyhose.  It’s been a while that I wanted to try this brand, but I just couldn’t get it anywhere for obvious reasons – this label is only available in Eastern Europe and is not designed for export. Грация label, in Cyrillic letters, would not sell anywhere else.

I passed through Moscow for work and I visited an old friend of mine, Natasha.  She greeted me wearing beautiful black pantyhose.  Later she returned, complaining that she got a run in them, but saying that they lasted her many wears.  I asked what brand it was and she said – Грация (Gracia).

Next day I had to leave, so I didn’t even know if I’ll have a chance to buy myself this brand.  So just in case I asked her if I could have those pantyhose, just to try them on.  She didn’t mind me asking, but she didn’t want to give me something that was already damaged.  Actually she even looked through her pantyhose drawer and pulled out many 40 den pantyhose of different colours by the same brand, looking for another sheer pair, but she had none left.  Realizing how much I wanted to try it, she even offered me to ship a pair to Canada, but I declined, since I didn’t want her to go through the hassle.

pantyhose by Gracia Russian brand with reinforced toesLuckily, I found a pair of pantyhose by brand in a store – the style displayed on the photo above, 20 den, sheer to waist, with reinforced toe.  I asked for whatever colour they had, except for black – turned out they had Mocca.  Fine, I took it, but I must admit it looks more like dark tan rather than real Mocca.

Somehow for my whole trip it was really cold, so I was walking around in 40 den pantyhose.  But on my flight back to Vancouver I decided to lighten up and look glamorous, since a special someone was supposed to meet me at the airport.

I put on Gracia pantyhose for the first time in the morning, getting ready for my flight.  Let’s just say, I was a little nervous since I never tried that brand and besides Natasha’s positive feedback had no idea if it will survive for such a long period.  What if I end up with a huge run in them?

pantyhose by Gracia Russian brand with reinforced toes close up 2Reinforced toe already cheered me up, at least that means it’s more durable in that section.  Interestingly, it had a thick border at the beginning of the reinforcement, almost like a statement saying that the toe section begins!  Also, I noticed that the band was quite broad and elastic and held on well.  It didn’t have a control top, but a t-top with a cotton gusset.

That proved to be very good eventually because I never felt like I had to pull up these pantyhose throughout my flight and two transfers.  It survived at least 24 hours on me and when I took it off it had no runs or holes.  Excellent quality!  Now the only regret I have is that I didn’t buy more.

After checking the website of the manufacturer, I realized that they have some really nice advertisements.  Here are some of their pantyhose ads.  Do you notice that they feature only skin-tone and black colours?

 

 

Controversial Views of Natalia Tolstaya

It’s a hard decision whether to write about this or not, since many people who know me personally may not expect this.  Probably I wouldn’t talk about this openly if it weren’t for several sexologists who I greatly admire and follow online.

It may be surprising to some people that family counselling professionals advise women not to blame their husbands for watching explicit movies, but in fact to join them and get some new ideas together.

Biology didn’t make people monogamous, so it’s best for him to have his chance to view something at home, together with his spouse, rather than go off to explore it in reality when she is not around.  Natalia Tolstaya, a Russian sexologist, holds this point of view.

Natalia suggests to women to take their men and go explore the sex shop, even if it means dragging the guy in by force.

Did you know that the first sex shop was started by a woman in Germany?  I suppose that’s why German sex shops are considered to be the best in the world.  Not everybody though liked the idea at first.  For example, the first shop in Canada (Ultra Love in Vancouver) had protests by angry women outside of it in the 70’s when it just opened up.

There is also a new trend of sex museums around Europe.  Moscow recently opened a sex exhibit with amazing artifacts from all over the world, both antique and modern.  Here is a photo of a fashion show that they hosted for a line of lingerie.

Besides things like stockings, magazines, oils, I truly was surprised to see that there were adult pantyhose-themed and stockings-themed movies available on the market too.  There are a couple of good labels, like Swank, for that material.  Leg Show and Leg Sex are also two popular labels for magazines, but according to recent news the first one has ceased publication.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go explore, we live only once.