I have tried hold ups before, and each time that I did, I swore that I would never buy them again. As soon as I pulled the damn things up over my knees and stuck them to my thighs, they would slowly peel off my skin, then ping down to my ankles. To this day, I still believe that the models on the packs of the incorrectly named ‘hold ups’ glue them to their legs pre-photoshoot.
Not only do I HATE hold ups, but I also LOVE stockings. I therefore couldn’t see myself ever trying them again.
About a year ago, I started noticing the shiny stripey welts, they started popping up all over the place, brands and models alike seemed to be using them more and more.
I was sceptical for a long time, however many bloggers whom I trust have raved about Kix’ies, so I decided to trial run some for myself. This is what I thought…
Look at the images below, they were taken before I left the house for work. You will notice two things:
- My face – this is not a face of despair
- The Kix’ies are on my thighs, as in they haven’t fallen down (yet?)
I must admit, it felt very strange leaving the house without any suspension but I persevered. I also must admit to taking an emergency suspender belt and stockings with me in my handbag, just in case the Kix’ies released my thighs from their silicone grip.
The day I wore them, I was very busy at work and had a lot of meetings to go to, I was therefore moving around the office a lot. For the first couple of hours, I was very conscious of the fact that at any moment, I could end up with some unwanted ankle socks that would have looked something like this:
However, as the day progressed, I completely forgot that I was wearing hold ups and just… got on with my life.
I can honestly say that they did not budge, not an inch. The Kix’ies stayed up all day, and part of the evening, until I took them off. I jokingly mentioned to my boyfriend that I never needed to wear stockings and suspenders again, he was not impressed.
I chose to try out the ‘Ally’ style – black with black spots. I love spotty hosiery, so that’s a win.
In terms of sizing, I probably went bigger than I should have but ultimately that may have further tested the grippiness of the silicone welts. My thighs are currently 25 inches around (they were 22, but then I rediscovered pizza) and I chose to wear size D. I usually have to wear the biggest size in all styles and brands of hosiery, so I didn’t even think about it, I just tried the largest size.
This is the suggested size chart:
Samantha, the owner of Kix’ies advises customers to go by thigh circumference first, height second and weight last. Following this advice, I should have worn a size B.
So, will I wear my Kix’ies again? YES! Yes I will, and I encourage you to try them too. I actually love them so much that I have decided to sell them in my shop. I will always love stockings and suspension, but these are a nice alternative. I would recommend them to people who maybe struggle with attaching suspender clips to stocking welts, or maybe to people who want to change things up in the hosiery department.
Elinor
Love hosiery with dots!
Great review, thank you! I’m a similar size to you so this is really helpful x
Well based on your write-up, I’ve decided to give them a go and ordered a pair of dana lynn’s today. Have avoided stay-ups like the plague for the reasons you’ve listed (if i wanted to buy ankle socks I’d buy ’em!!). I do have a preference for stockings but would love stay-ups on stand-by (especially if they actually stay up!!) Thanks for making them available to buy. 🙂
thanks for such a quick delivery Elinor. what can I say? I know I spent the money already but in my head I just didn’t believe the Kixies stay-ups would really be any different for me (i.e. stay-downs) but wow. I put them on. They stayed up. They’re still up! No digging in the the chubbiness. I am sold! 🙂
I tell no fibs! They do stay up and I was equally surprised! Glad you’re happy ❤️
Thanks for this review! I hate the ‘sausage’ roll over effect I get with most stay ups but these look gorgeous, have a bigger size range and – thank god – look like the actually stay up rather than rolling down. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of these babies!