Today’s review marks my first experience with German hosiery maker Kunert. A friend assured me that I would enjoy them – she was not mistaken. I’ve worn them out on two rigorous occasions: a busy party, and a day at work in the studio followed by going out for drinks. Kunert goes so far as to claim a “no runs guarantee”.
Game on, Kunert. I am famously hard on my hosiery, let’s see what you can take.
Some construction observations, right out of the package:
- Semi – boarded, sheer toe.
- They are supposedly 20 denier, feel more like 15 or 12 in my hand.
- Attention to detail is outstanding: The style name, Chinchillan, is embroidered in the waistband:
- Not only does this pair of nylons feature the super comfy, stealthy flat seams, they’ve done an impressive job with doubling the weave right around the seams. This is a classic stress point where a cheaper pair of hosiery will begin to fail under stress. Incredibly nice job here, Kunert.
- They are obviously proud of their work, look at that tag:
Fit and Feel:
They stretch on very comfortably. I got a size that is technically one size smaller than I should be wearing, but they fit well anyway.- They definitely feel more sheer than 20 denier. More like 12-15 den
- Waistband sits pretty low on the hip. These are not your mother’s pantyhose that go half way up your rib cage.
- Top portion is loose and comfy. The upside, it’s super comfy. Downside, I had to give them a little tug now and then to keep them exactly where I wanted them. My guess is that if I was in a the next size up, this may not be an issue. Ladies, those of you who complain about pantyhose tops being tight and restrictive – you will love these.
- I got them in “candy” color: I have *very* fair, Danish skin. The Chinchillan imparted a nice light, golden caramel color to my legs. On the package, they are labeled as being “matt-shimmery”. Normally I’d say these are two opposite points on a continuum with matte and super glossy being the two ends. Somehow, these manage to give an ever so slight shimmer to the outline of your leg while remaining matte and relatively undetectable on your skin. Very subtle, refined look. I’m a big fan of how these look on the leg.
- Feel: Touch your legs while wearing them, and they feel not silky to the point of being slippery, but very soft. Certain styles of pantyhose feel very slippery and silky when you rub your legs together in them. Definitely not the case with Chinchillan. I’m fairly certain the tactile qualities of these nylons are due to the run-resistant weave and the yarns used: 72% polyamide, 28% elastane.
I put them through two days of wearing, one of which included lots of time working at my desk, followed by a fantastic warehouse party; the next day I wore them to work in the studio. I kicked off my heels and walked on the 100 year old wood floors, climbed ladders, moved photo gear around in them.
Those gorgeous old wood floors are notorious for tiny little rough edges that are absolute murder on sheer hosiery. I really didn’t expect the Kunert Chinchillans to survive my day in the studio but they did! They were still in perfect shape when it was time to go downtown to an upscale bar for drinks with an associate.
The people at Kunert obviously have their act together in the manufacturing process. This is a very high quality pair of nylons. I’m loving how they make my legs look. If you like that bare-but-holy-shit-why-do-your-legs-look-so-amazing look, you should definitely get a pair.
And here I am wearing them in my weekly WTF to do in SLC piece: