Sharp eyes may have noticed that the Sizing Tips for the Lace Garter Belt & Thong almost read as more generous than the listing for their plus-sized version.  Can you tell which of the Sizing Tips is for a “one size” and which is for a “plus”?  Keep in mind that, on average, a US women’s size 16 clothing is on average designed for folks 34 inches in the waist and 44 in the hips.

The labels don’t list any, so here goes: on small hips (under 34 inches) they will be cute but may not actually hold anything up; even on the tightest adjustment, the garter may slide down your hips. The good news: we found it stretched nicely to fit a 40 inch waist (45-inch hips) and will hold your stockings up just fine if you are medium/large.

Is that the plus size description? Or is this:

We’ve tested this out and found that it probably will only fit up to a US pant size 14 comfortably, maybe a 16 if worn at the waist.

Hmmm. Well, the first description is the Sizing Tips for the “one size” Lace Garter Belt & Thong. Which renders the so-called “plus-size” version pretty unnecessary.  We did a stretch test and, you know what? Both sizes stretched to the same amount. We’ve been keeping an eye on it, trying to see if it was a passing problem or not.

One of our Dreamers who measures about 40 inches where she wears her garter belt gave the “one size” a try and found it was comfortable and worked just fine at holding her stockings up.

(worn here with the Lycra Cuban Heeled 2-Tone Stockings)

We’ve decided to get rid of the Lace Garter Belt & Thong in Plus size, because they just aren’t any more “plus” than the “one size.”  The Lace Garter Belt & Thong is still a great garter belt for folks just trying the style or in need of a cheaper option, and now you know that it can fit better than you thought! For those of you looking for a little more substance, we have lots of options in lots of sizes in other garter belt styles.

I know you folks don’t read the Sock Journal for investigative journalism, but these facts had to be shared!  We do our best to catch sizing changes and determine if it is a passing problem or a continuing issue and update our info wherever we can!

You may notice in the image below that the red is a little different between sizes.  The “one size” is more of a tomato red and the 1x-2x is more of a lipstick red.  The other colours of the 1x-2x and 3x-4x aren’t as different when compared to their “one size” versions.

There are some other differences between the “one size” and the “plus” sizes.  Though it isn’t dependable that the stripes go all the way up to the waistband on the one size (which is why we love when you drop us a line to ask if the current batch do), both the 1x-2x and the 3x-4x sizes always have stripes that go all the way up.

“One size” on top, the 1x-2x below

And that’s true for the other end too.  The stripes go all the way to the toes on the 1x-2x and 3x-4x.

You’ll notice that the one size legs are longer than the plus size in the image below.  Don’t fret!  There is some magic stretch in the plus sizes of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights.  If you have a longer inseam and any curves, the 1x-2x size may be a better option.  Our tester with a 32 inch inseam found that the legs of the “one size” just fit—they maxed out the stretch of the “one size”, both hips and inseam.

More comparisons of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights sizes after the jump!

Other than using some magical, stretchy fabric for the 1x-2x and the 3x-4x, Leg Avenue has also designed the larger sizes with a rear panel.  Instead of one seam in the back, there are two, giving you lots more room for stretch and curves. One of our testers loved that the optical illusion of how the stripes met up gave her better curves in the back.

1x-2x on the left, “one size” on the right

Guys looking for striped tights may do what one of our testers tried on accident—he found that putting on the tights with the double seam in the front adds a little more room and comfort where necessary.  One thing to keep in mind, no matter how you wear them, the rear panel also acts as a gusset, and is slightly visible on the inner leg, so folks wearing tanga shorts and tap pants with these tights should keep that in mind.

Okay, now for the straight numbers for stretch!  Remember, the more something stretches around, the less they can stretch up, so longer legs with curves need to keep that in mind.  We stretched the waist/hip area and inside the leg, here’s what we found:

The “one size” stretches to 35 inches or so in the waist, with a little more stretch in the hip.  The leg circumference stretches to 22inches and we don’t recommend them for folks with longer inseams than 31 inches who are maxing the stretch for the waist and leg.

The 1x-2x stretch to 57 inches in the waist & hip area and have a 30 inch stretch in the leg circumference.  From our experience they don’t ride down too badly when the waist is stretched to the higher end of their range, though the rise does shorten (often, something has the stretch, but then become hip-huggers).

The 3x-4x stretch to about 64 inches in the waist & hip area and 36 inches of stretch in the leg circumference. If your size range fits the 1x-2x more and you’d like a more opaque tight, the 3x-4x will fit you just fine, from our testing.

Have you tried the Leg Avenue Striped Tights?  What size do you like the most?