Wolford Boutique Hopping in Boston

I just arrived back from Boston two weeks ago and I brought back a souvenir – a pair of Wolford Fatal Seamless 50 den tights that I bought at one of the two Wolford boutiques there.

Both locations offered a luxury experience. My first visit was to the Wolford boutique at the Copley Place where I was warmly greeted by Linda. She welcomed me and started off by telling me about the brand and all the cool specials in store that day on dresses and swimwear.

Wolford boutique in Boston 2

I chatted with Linda about a few things that interested me. Turns out that Wolford now has special uniform for their staff. If they wear pants, they don’t have to wear hosiery, but with skirts they should. I also was offered a bottle of water, it was a very nice gesture considering how hot it was outside.

Wolford boutique in Boston visit ankle jewelry

Then I headed to the next location and I was greeted by Mindy, the manager. She was wearing a skirt and tights and looked very professional. Again, customer service was simply excellent. I told her that I’d buy something, but I already bought a pair of Wolford that day. Usually if I get good service, I make a purchase just so that I am writing a review as an actual customer.

Wolford boutique in Boston store

I would like to thank both of those Wolford locations for welcoming me so warmly and representing this high end brand in the best way possible.

Where do flight attendants buy their tights?

Satin Touch 20 pantyhose on the airplaneJust recently I returned from my trip to US and I wanted to write about two conversations I had with flight attendants on the way there and back about pantyhose. I was curious to hear whether why they choose not to wear compression hosiery even though it is fully covered by their work benefits and where they buy their regular ones.

On my way to JFK one of the flight attendants was very friendly to me and I asked her, out of professional interest, what hosiery she wears. She said that she actually buys her tights at the dollar store! Somehow whether she buys it for $2 or for $15 from the department store, she still ends up getting snags in them the first time she wears. Thus, she figured, why spend more.

When I asked about compression, she said that she has one pair that she got through the company. It helps her legs and she really should wear it, but it’s too much hassle. Compression hosiery needs to be put on wearing latex gloves and it has to be washed in a specific soap solution.

My suggestion to her was to buy a few more of those compression tights and alternate them, so she can wash them all at once. I also gave her my card and offered to give her some free Fiore hosiery to try out and review. There are moderately priced options out there that don’t have as high of a mark up as the ones at the department store.

On my flight back I asked another flight attendant about her tights and the story was almost the same. She buys her regular hosiery from Aldo shoes. Exactly like the lady before her, she also owns one pair of compression hosiery that she was specifically measured for. However, she lost weight and her compression tights no longer fit her properly.

For all the flights I wore pantyhose myself, it’s doesn’t look credible to ask someone a personal question, claiming you are from the hosiery industry, if you don’t look the part. On my flight to JFK I wore Wolford tights and on the way back out of Boston I wore a pair of thicker Taiwanese ones that were a gift from a friend. Fiore tights make up the majority of my personal collection, but I also like to try on different brands in order to be able to compare and give people good feedback in terms of benchmark brands.

Lack of Refinement at the NYC Wolford Boutique (Columbus Circle Location)

Wolford boutique New York City NYC Columbus Circle reviewI got to visit New York City on my vacation and I couldn’t resist to see their local Wolford boutique near Central Park, at the Columbus Circle shopping center). Despite the crazy heat this Tuesday, I put on my Satin Touch 20 pantyhose (a gift from a special fan), a lace white skirt, and a black thong bodysuit that I just recently purchased (more about that later). Not intentionally, but I actually ended up wearing the bodysuit style that is called “New York”. I thought I was all set for my visit. My expectations were soaring high and I knew exactly what style of pantyhose I wanted to buy.

I walked into that boutique and noticed two women talking to each other at the entrance, both of them turned out to be Wolford employees. Only after they finished their conversation and I already had my back to one of them while looking at the display, I heard a greeting from Kathleen. Here comes the first strike. Greeting a customer without eye contact.

No matter how long I circled the boutique, trying to solicit any further response in my address, I still felt like I was invisible. At some point I even took the liberty to pull out the drawer of Neon 40 tights and started checking their shades and sizes, hoping that the woman watching the screen of the desk top computer would turn to me and help me pick out the right size and shade.

The day before I sent my guy “undercover” to scout the boutique. His experience was actually quite pleasant, but it was not the same sales person welcoming him though. Right away he was informed that there is a sales section with 70% OFF. At least it would be nice to also get the same information! I figured if I bring up the price, perhaps I’ll heard back which items are on sale as a way to accommodate budget-conscious customers.

I walked up to the rack with some tops and finally asked the sales person why the items are so expensive. She came up to me and highlighted some valid points about Wolford’s quality and reputation. I thought to see how she will respond to a tougher question and pointed at the snags all over the collar of a shirt that was still hanging there with a regular price tag – “Really, you say they make good quality items? Look at this damage.”

Kathleen (forgive me if I spell this wrong, I had to ask her what her name was because none of the staff wore name tags) was very polite and offered to give me a damage discount on the top. She also pointed out that even though that rack is still regular price, this is what’s left of the summer collection and it is getting shipped back to Austria tomorrow. This is just my opinion, but here is the 2nd strike – damaged merchandise should be spotted immediately by staff, not by customers, and either taken off the floor or discounted accordingly.

Third strike for me was that both of the workers on the floor were with bare legs. I brought up the question and got the answer that it is not part of the summer uniform because it is so hot outside. Of course, Kathleen pointed out that whatever she is wearing is made by the Wolford brand. Did Wolford really change their policies or is she just not aware of the dress code? Most of my Wolford boutique visits happened during the summer and I don’t recall seeing staff with bare legs. At least if the front window is occupied mainly by mannequins in fishnets, I would assume that such hosiery would be a great solution for a hot day.

I told Kathleen everything as is, pointing out that I am also wearing Wolford and that I am planning to blog about my visit. She offered me some information to take with me about the upcoming collection and I gladly agreed. But here came the fourth strike – the phone rang. Those of you who worked in customer service know that there are techniques to handle a phone call and an in person customer at the same time by picking up the phone and asking the caller to wait a little bit, then to wrap up the discussion with the person in front of you, and move on to the phone call. In this case I was still standing there, waiting for the conversation to come to an end so I could get that promised brochure.

That moment I saw my guy turn up at the door looking for me, so I was about to leave and Kathleen caught up to me and gave me that brochure to take home. I haven’t seen whether the phone call was over or whether she in fact did put the caller on hold.

My visit, regretfully, ended without a purchase. I only buy if I feel satisfied with the service. It is a little bit sad for me, I was hoping to get a pair of Neon 40 tights in Midnight shade because this is one of the shades I haven’t tried yet. If even more good deals would be pointed out to me, perhaps I’d buy a few other things too. My experience did not live up to my initial excitement based on the courtesy I’ve seen in other Wolford boutiques across the country.

 

 

Interview with Anatoly Borodin – a Russian Pantyhose Photographer

jessica head shotI am pleased to present this interview with Anatoly Borodin, a photographer and an entrepreneur from Moscow. He runs a popular pantyhose fetish-oriented website pro-kolgotki. It has been 10 years since he started photographing women in pantyhose and he is currently working on publishing a high quality printed photo book of his best work. This is a crowdfunding campaign to spread a word about the beauty of women in pantyhose. Anatoly proved to be the most interesting person to interview so far. Some of his answers took me by surprise, some made me disagree, some made me wonder whether he is the next Pierre Molinier, and some made me realize that my degree of pantyhose obsession is no match to his. To sum it up, Anatoly left me with even more questions than answers. Enjoy the read! 

 

How do you select your models? Is it a requirement for them to love pantyhose? I remember helping to dress models at a Vancouver fashion show and many had no idea about basic concepts like “backseam is supposed to be at the back” type of thing.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.comI look for amateur girls who want to have good photos of themselves in order to publish them on their own blog and to improve their self-esteem. These are ordinary girls from Moscow, Kiev and other Russian and Ukrainian cities.

There’s no requirement to love pantyhose. If it was in place – I wouldn’t find any models. LOL.

I simply publish a job post in fashion & modelling communities with explanation that ‘we shoot underwear and pantyhose’. Then I make a selection of the best girls who have replied to my job post.  Usually it is 50% of all the replies. Then I contact them and ask if they’re OK to pose in underwear. At this point another 50% of girls leave. The reason for double-checking is that models are usually young absent-minded girls with ‘a wind between their ears’, honestly. So they reply to all castings and all job posts without even looking at the details. Calling a potential model and double-confirming the type of shooting is essential – it saves a lot of time and energy.

I do not tell that the session is of certain fetish type. Because it’s not! Surprised?
Yes, my sessions are NOT related to pantyhose fetish. Don’t want to go deep into details, just check the vocabulary’s definition of ‘fetish’ and you’ll get the clue. My sessions are about women and their true tender beauty. Pantyhose are just a garment that emphasises the femininity of certain girl in a certain session.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

Yes, women DO NOT KNOW A THING ABOUT PANTYHOSE. For more than 15 years I’ve been researching this alluring riddle, testing hundreds of pairs of pantyhose, learning the hosiery industry on all continents. Completed hundreds of interviews with women of different cultures and ages learning their attitude and wishes towards nylons.
My conclusion is that women do not really care about hosiery. They purchase random tights at random places without looking at either the brand name or the visual quality.

I don’t judge. I understand them completely. The woman’s world contains so many more important things like health, relations, and daily tasks, looking after kids and so on. The list is endless. A pair pantyhose is at the very end on that list, if there at all.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

I adore seeing women wearing pantyhose in everyday life, there aren’t so many of them around. That’s why I came up with my project’s idea – to create more real women wearing pantyhose. It’s all right that they wear pantyhose only at my sessions. But the pantyhose wearing index it’s already above zero. Do you get my point?
This is our reality, and there’s nothing good or bad about that.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

Is there a type of pantyhose that is the most difficult to photograph? There are a lot of little details to watch for during any photoshoot, especially the lighting.

Surprisingly, seamless sheer pantyhose is the most difficult to shoot, like Wolford Fatal 15. I love the idea of seamless pantyhose, but it is almost impossible to show them in a beautiful way without going to too explicit images.
The thing is that seamless pantyhose are unthinkable to be worn with any underwear. The seamless concept is so super-sexy and so super-feminine that I can’t allow my model to have anything under them. Any kind of panties look weird and odd under a pair of seamless pantyhose.

Another disadvantage of seamless pantyhose is that they’re too matt and too thin to be clearly visible on the photographs. So it usually takes a lot of efforts to place the right lighting and take a shot under the right angle to make a good photo.

That’s why I don’t shoot seamless pantyhose in my sessions anymore. Too much of hassle of balancing the image between being feminine, tender and pure and the explicitness.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

Do you retouch your photographs? I’d like to know where you stand on this, some fashion photographers pride themselves on never releasing an image without first spending a few hours on it in Photoshop.

Yes I always retouch every photograph. One photo takes from 10 to 30 minutes of retouching. One issue of my magazine contains up to 400 photographs. So one issue release takes from 66 to 200 hours of my daily work.
I love what I do, so I’m working without weekends, and at night. But don’t get delusional, a good photograph that people would want to pay money for is always based on hard work and years of experience. Throw away the stories of ‘get rich in one month in two clicks’.

AND! Do not ever listen to any ‘fashion photographers’ who say that. Everybody retouches photos. Without retouching any photo look ‘too ordinary’ . It’s a general trap that many starting photographers get into… sometimes for life.

The whole point of artistic depictions that people would like looking at is in ‘creating a vivid unusual image that one can’t find in everyday life’. It has a lot to do with the increased contrast, vividness, color balance and many other things.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

It is a known fact that amateur photos get way more attention on social media than studio photos. Why do you think this is the case?

In my opinion amateur photos are quite popular because of higher level of intimacy on them. A photo of yourself taken in your private kitchen or your bedroom is much more intimate and ‘true’ than any studio photo. But popular doesn’t mean profitable. People want to watch amateur photos for free, and don’t want to pay.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

 

Do you have any entertaining photoshoot stories? One time I was at a fashion show in Toronto where the model was in such a rush to put on that jacket, she walked out with the hanger still on her back.

Can’t recall any specific funny story. Mainly because of my sessions are completely directed and pre-arranged. So I’m the conductor of the set and can do whatever I think is reasonable.

There was one plus size girl who brought her red evening dress but didn’t bring any heels. I asked her about what she was thinking about when she packed an evening dress and her sneakers… So we had to shoot her in that dress and with bare feet. The result was still nice.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

Oh! Let me tell you the biggest fun: girls do not have a clue of what does them and what doesn’t fit them.

Women do not have a clue of matching pantyhose and underwear colors. They think ‘it’s OK’ and ‘nobody sees it anyway’.
But men see. If you’re a girl reading this, get this clear: yesterday you wore stockings under your skirt and I guarantee most men you met on that day knew you were wearing stockings. Don’t ask how. We, men, train our skills.
If you’re a man reading this, you’d probably agree with me.

photography by Anatoly Borodin, model in yellow tights and high heels

Moreover, when you’re young you never know in whose bed you will end up today. It’s OK. But in order to look holistic, tasty and stylish – please, PLEASE (PLEASE!) think of matching your underwear and pantyhose colors.
There’s nothing more tasteless than a white panties under a black sheer pantyhose. It just degrades you down to a country redneck girl (is that OK to write like that? LOL).

Black pantyhose = black/dark panties.
Nude pantyhose = nude/white/light panties
Colourful pantyhose = up to you, think of and try the complimentary colors.

(Red vs blue, yellow vs violet, pink vs sky-blue, orange vs dark-green… should I continue or you’ve got the point?)

Not saying about all other accessories, belts, bracelets, watches, earrings, and lipstick’s color matching the whole outlook.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

And finally:
Some girls come to my sessions having their periods. This is awkward, but to me it is funny! I mean no offense. I’m laughing at myself getting into such an awkward situation. It’s inconvenient for the girl in first place. And when she doesn’t feel secure, the photos would be a complete crap. I can’t even press the shutter button when I see a tense insecure girl in front of me.
When a girl decides to come for an underwear session at her ‘days’, this means she just wants money. I understand and don’t judge. But we won’t get any good result out of that. There’s no easy solution for this, because I can’t ask my potential models about their periods over the phone. It would be too awkward. So all I have is to rely on girls’ discretion, and to laugh at such situations.

Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

Looks like you are an open-minded kind of guy. What is your opinion of men who wear pantyhose for comfort and enjoyment? This is probably one of the most common questions I get.

If that’s making you feel good, then IT IS GOOD.

Yes I wore pantyhose and I found it exciting. The good pantyhose make your legs look and feel so smooth and sleek. I regret I can not wear skirt because when pantyhose are under your pants the legs can’t touch each other. Although I’ve tried it at home. I believe that this sensation of your legs covered by sheer pantyhose touching each other is very important!  And very revealing! Like the whole unknown universe opens before you! A universe of women’s feelings, sensations, thoughts, and motivations. This experience has allowed me to feel what women feel, and as a result to better understand them.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

And here I’d like to say that I understand WHY women hate pantyhose. I really do! Because after wearing a pair of sheer pantyhose for 10-12 hours they bring a lot of discomfort at the end of the day. I felt that my legs were like in a cage. And especially the sweat that have spread along the legs, making pantyhose feel like something wet and rubbery.

BUT ONLY THE LOW-QUALITY ONES! Hear me out! Only the low quality pantyhose bring that kind of discomfort by the end of the day! The good ones, for instance Wolford Satin Opaque 50, or Neon 40, are so luxurious that you wouldn’t want to take them off. I’ve experimented with many women of different ages and ethnicity. All of them declined to take them off after a 4-hour long session.

Listen to me; it’s a man telling you this stuff. Don’t take this as an advertisement, I simply haven’t found anything better than Wolford during my 15 year extensive research of hosiery.

I’ve even tried wearing laced sexy panties, but that’s too inconvenient for a man simply because of the physiological reasons. It could give you some bad consequences with your health in a long run. I looked at myself in a mirror wearing laced panties and sheer pantyhose, and it was the most miserable view in my life. I felt it was all too fake. It was like a wishful act – trying to be someone you’re not. That moment I decided that I prefer seeing beautiful underwear and luxury pantyhose on real women.

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

We all have both male and female essence in us. Seeking for another gender’s essence in you is normal and good for finding yourself. Usually, normally, we go through that sex/orientation thing at our middle childhood when trying on another sex’s garments, shoes, clothing. It’s normal and it’s very important in forming your orientation. That’s what I believe in.

I’d like to emphasise this to all men interested in pantyhose, who are insecure about their interest. If something makes you feel good, and it doesn’t affect anyone else, then it’s nothing but the good thing.

Just do it and enjoy your life.

 

photo by Anatoly Borodin, photographer of women in pantyhose, founder of pro-kolgotki.com

 

Contact Information for Anatoly Borodin: 

E-mail: anatoly@pro-kolgotki.com

Facebook profile: Anatoly Borodin

Facebook fan page: pro-kolgotki (direct transliteration of Russian “about pantyhose”)

Instagram: @pro_kolgotki

Youtube: RuPantyhose

Best Pantyhose Magazine on Earth: pro-kolgotki.com

Crowdfunding campaign to publish his book: Women in pantyhose Photography Book Project.

 

 

This interview was conducted by Jessica, the founder of this website. Please note that views expressed in this interview are Anatoly’s only and they may or may not reflect the views on the same subjects of the Fantasy Stockings team. 

 

Scratch and snag test on pantyhose

I was reading an article about several brands of thick pantyhose going through the scratch test. Yes, there was a cat scratching on top of the woman. Here’s an example of a cat on top of Wolford tights, 70 den. All candidates were opaque styles, suitable for winter.

scratch test, snag test, thick opaque tights 70 den WolfordOMSA and Falke, both from totally different price categories, suffered the same. Runs and lots of fur stuck to them.

Uniqlo, Calzedonia, and Wolford did better. But still there were some snags, even though no holes. Cat hair clung just as well as on the previous ones.

The best sample from this run turned out to be from surprisingly a Chinese-made brand, JNBY. There were no holes and no snags, and minimum cat hair.

Who Wears White after Labour Day?

Wolford seamless fatal 15 tightsHere’s a photo of me that I took yesterday in Point Roberts, WA.

I was wearing Wolford Seamless Fatal 15. It’s a nice summmery colour.

I hear fashion experts say that people shouldn’t wear white after Labour day.

Opinions?

I personally think it depends on the country, since in places like Cuba white is the best colour any day with such heat.

My visit to a Discounted Wolford Hosiery Outlet – California

wolford boutique outlet mall California As me and my guy were driving past an outlet mall, he asked me if I want to check it out. I kept on saying “No” until I saw that they have Wolford, so immediately it turned into a big YES! I never even thought that Wolford would have a store like that with deals.

This outlet store opened only in April, so it’s still so new and probably many people don’t know about it. It’s located in the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in the Palm Springs area, the city of Cabazon in South California. They offer discounts around 30% or so on items that are classified as “slightly imperfect B sortment”.

Coincidentally, that day I was wearing my Wolford top and my Wolford 5 den Aura tights. I walked to the store, wondering what the service will be like. If it’s an outlet store, will they still keep the same level of service?

Right away I was greeted by a sales person and as I continued digging through all the sale items staff continued to offer me to check for my size or to let me know that there are other colours available. If they wouldn’t let me know, I probably would never find out that Neon 40 comes in navy blue. Overwhelmed by excitement, I of course ended up getting a pair in that colour too.

Wolford boutique store front in California, Palm Springs Area - outlet mall - customer service reviewThroughout my visit staff were friendly and attentive, asked questions, and made sure that all other customers in the store were being served. All three women were dressed professionally and wore Wolford hosiery.

the store in general was well organized and items were easy to find. I spotted several styles that were actually already discontinued, so perhaps getting them in that outlet store would be the last chance to enjoy them. If I only would have unlimited budget, I bet I’d buy them too.

I picked out 4 pairs: Neon 40 in Gobi, Neon 40 in Admiral, Naked 8 in black, Fatal 15 in black. The store manager, Rebecca, was really nice and agreed to inspect those pairs for me to check that there are no runs in them since I wouldn’t be able to come back to exchange it. What they refer to as imperfections are actually very minor things that are not usually regarded as such by other brands.

Wolford boutique - leg display - hosiery - California Outlet Mall Rebecca also told me that when you buy 10 pairs of Wolford, your 11th pair is free. Their computer system keeps track of the purchases across all boutiques. She is actually the first person to inform me about that as nobody else told me about this rewards program throughout my numerous boutique visits across North America.

I greatly recommend to anybody in California to go for a nice drive and visit that Wolford store at the Desert Hills Premium outlets. Stock up on styles while you are there, you won’t regret it. There were many deductions to the prices, but there were no deductions to the service.

Wolford Outlet Cabazon, CA

Desert Hills Premium Outlets 48650 Seminole Drive, Space # 1140
92230 Cabazon, CA (USA)

Wolford boutique - leg display - hosiery - California Outlet Mall Wolford boutique - leg display - hosiery - California Outlet Mall Wolford boutique - leg display - hosiery - California Outlet Mall

Fantastic Visit to Wolford Boutique on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles

Wolford store on Rodeo drive in Los Angeles On my trip to Los Angeles I really wanted to see that legendary Rodeo Drive. If there would be a Wolford boutique in that city, I was confident it would be there. I bet that this is where all the celebrities go to buy their hosiery.

I was really excited to go in for a visit. As I walked in, a really pleasant lady named Trystan greeted me and I asked her about the new styles for the summer. Right away I saw one that I liked, it was a pair of stay ups with a red welt. She told me more about that style, as if she had a telepathic sense of what I wanted to know about it.
The manager, Elizabeth, was also working that day. Both of them were dressed really nicely. I explained to them that I wanted to take a few pictures for my blog (please ask permission as there are some restrictions on photography there) and they even helped me to arrange the leg mannequins for a better angle.

In a small table there was a binder full of celebrity photos who enjoy Wolford. They even had some photographs there from Helmut Newton. Famous women like Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, and Katie Perry are known to wear Wolford for their performances.

If you are ever on Rodeo Drive, go ahead and visit Wolford. It’s a really nice atmosphere and friendly service despite posh neighbourhood. You’ll feel like a celebrity too!

Wolford store on Rodeo drive in Los Angeles  Wolford store on Rodeo drive in Los Angeles

 

Trying on Wolford 8 den Eyla stockings

I am wearing Wolford stockings – Eyla 8 den. These are these ones that I got on my trip to Los Angeles. I went to Wolford on Rodeo drive and it was a really nice experience. I’ll write a proper review later here for you.

wolford red stockings eyla 8 den bedwolford red stockings eyla 8 den bed play 3

I am wearing a Marylin Monroe shirt that I got that day, red swimsuit bikini, and zebra print shoes. I wish I’d have another model to have a pillow fight with.

wolford red stockings eyla 8 den bed play 2wolford red stockings eyla 8 den bed play

And later secretly posing in the hallway of the hotel, late at night, so no one saw me. That was  quite a thrill.

wolford red stockings eyla 8 den hallway

Is Kylie Minogue Sexercise video a rip off from Justin Timberlake My Love song?

I can’t help it but notice the similarities in the tune from Kylie Mingoue’s new video “Sexercise” to the one a few years back from Justin Timberlake called “My Love”.

Agree?

Justin Timberlake’s Chorus:

Yeah, because
I can see us holding hands
Walking on the beach, our toes in the sand
I can see us on the countryside
Sitting on the grass, laying side by side
You could be my baby, let me make you my lady… 

Kylie Minogue’s opening of the song sounds similar to me. Am I delusional?

Flexin’ real tight
Keep on moving so nice
Move it for me tonight
Let me see you sexercize
It’s not just your body
Gotta keep it up with me
My mind is seven sea
Let me see you sexercize

There is a hint of hosiery in both, so I don’t forget such things. If it has stockings in it, I remember.