Now, about those maternity tights!  We’ve been asked about maternity tight options and recommendations over the years.  It’s tough to have your body change so dramatically over such a short time, requiring new, comfortable, additions to your wardrobe.  Nor is it fun to feel like how you dress is limited because of what options are available for your growing tummy.  So we’re glad that we have found not only the light support maternity tights from Therafirm, but have found some “regular” tights that work well with a lot of pregnant bellies.

We’re excited to offer the Preggers Maternity Light Support Tights, designed especially with pregnant folks in mind.  They have a unique top that should fit all stages of pregnancy.

Both the tights and the Preggers Maternity Light Support Footless Tights  have built-in light support.  Their 10-15mmHG gradient compression in the legs helps with swelling and fatigue.  “Graduated compression”  has the most support at the ankle, decreasing in pressure as they go up the leg, encouraging better bloodflow.  In the tummy area a support panel gives added stability and the stretchy top can be worn folded or unfolded to cover the belly.

These styles from Therafirm are pretty fantastic, with reinforced toes (well, the footless tights don’t have toes!) and wicking ability to make them as comfortable as possible.

Solid tights are great, but what if you want wool tights, or something pretty and lacy?  Join us after the jump for more options that aren’t designed for pregnant bellies, but fit them fine anyhow!

The Dreamer who decided to try on a couple of styles for us to see how they work with a full-term tummy is regularly a size 6 pant and the widest part of her belly right now (at 36 weeks!) is 41 inches.  She’s a pretty standard “medium” size in most clothing, but what we found will work for petite and larger folks as well.

Overall, what we found is that, for certain styles, buying a size up from your regular tights size will give enough leeway to make it over a pregnant belly.  You’ll also want to keep an eye out for flat, comfortable waistbands.  How sensitive your tummy is and how you carry the baby varies from person to person, so feel free to drop us a line with any questions.  Don’t forget to read the Sizing Tips, they’ll help you know what your non-pregnancy size would be.

If the “one size” Color Tights fit you well, then picking up a plus size pair should be just the thing to add a little brightness to your maternity outfits.  The waistband goes up comfortably over the baby bump.  From our experience, unless you’re more petite, the plus size will still fit you after baby is born, they’ll just be more opaque and go up higher on the waist.

Buying a size up of the Erika Microfiber Tights works the same way.  If you’re regularly a Small, choose a Medium; if you’re a Medium, choose a Large.  We’re also expecting an Extra Large option for the Erikas in the Fall!  We have no exact dates yet, but we’re excited to add the extra range to a favourite style of tights.  Just like the Color Tights, the waistband goes all the way over the belly.  Our Dreamer found the wonderful waistband of the Erika to be super comfy.

Another comfy B.Ella style that works with pregnant tummies when you buy a size up are the Woolissimo Tights.  Though their waistband is just as stretchy and comfy, it doesn’t go all the way over the belly, but our testing Dreamer said it was just as comfortable and stayed up well.  We sadly don’t expect them to be available in an extra large option any time soon.

Two more B.Ella styles that will work, and are especially great if you want a little fancy prettiness, are the Codori Crochet Tights and the Patricia Merino Crochet Tights.  Remember to buy a size up, the Patricia (pictured below) are even available in an Extra Large!  They will fit closer to how the Woolisimo do, not making it all the way over your belly.

Now, we haven’t had a chance to test these two styles, but their wonderful stretch, how high they hit on the waist and how comfortable their waistbands are make them great candidates for maternity tights with a little more sass.  Even though they’re only “one size”, the Medallion Tights blew us away with their stretch.  Because they’re just the one size, they’ll keep on keeping you sexy through pregnancy and after.  Nothing is quite as annoying as all those clothes you have to buy just to wear for nine months!

The Leg Avenue Striped Tights should work well too.  We’ve recently compared how the three sizes fit on the Sock Journal and, just like the Medallion Tights, they hit the waist high, have lots of stretch and a comfortable waistband.

Remember, buy a size up, look for styles that hit high on the natural waist and have a comfortable waistband when you’re searching for “regular” tights that can fit your new, pregnant shape.  And if you don’t want any hassle, go for the tights made just for you like the the Preggers Maternity Light Support Tights.

Bonus ad, locations to be determined.
(Currently at NW 23rd & Thurman)
I shot this on 5 dreamers of varying gender & sizes wearing Harvest Rainbows in my office.

I got to sit in with Zaffie on the planning of locations, which side of which shelter and during which months they’d run. Just as it got to the image planning stage I was increasingly distracted by my mom’s cancer diagnoses, it would be her third and final battle with cancer and I needed to give her my full attention.
Seeing these images of our ads on the streets of Portland has been one of those [many] times I miss being able to tell/show her things. She was always my biggest fan and was immensely proud of what I created here having been my original inspiration for seeking out fun & unique socks as well as always encouraging me to visualize and follow my dreams… yeah, tangents are easy these days,
so back to happy pictures of dreamers in socks…

Currently up at SE Belmont & 30th
I shot this of myself wearing seafoam O Basics up in a tree in our old backyard where we ran Sock Dreams out of our awesome basement for two of the five years we lived there.

Five images were selected, and though I completely missed the deadline to check in and state my opinions on which images were chosen and used, they were the exact ones I would have picked! one from the old days when it was just me and a camera, one I took of a diverse group of dreamers last year and three shot by our warehouse manager extraordinaire Brenna, specifically for this project…

outside Jeldwen Field on SW 18th & Morrison.
This is a pretty busy spot on game nights and though I’m not really a sports enthusiast, I think the setting and image work wonderfully together. This one features an assortment of our US made Dream Stockings and was shot on the steps behind our warehouse.

This one is supposed to be at SE 30th & Belmont…
so we’re still looking to see where it actually is

And this lovely should be outside one the Starbucks on NW 23rd…
we’ll find you yet!

Both of these last two ads feature our Extraordinary US made Dreamer Socks on an assortment of Extraordinary Dreamer’s legs shot in and around our headquarters here in Portland.

We’ll be having more fun with these ads in the near future which we’ll be posting on our various social media outlets as they come up, we’ll even update here in the comments for those of you still avoiding every other method of social media known to humankind.
Just follow any of the links at the bottom of the list above on the left side of this page to find us…

With love, gratitude and warmest toes…

always,
niq

• Nerd Knee Highs •
• Geek Knee Highs •

“May the fourth be with you” sounds like a key phrase from a very popular science fiction film series—what’s the tagline from that movie? “To go where no man has gone before?”

Just kidding!!

We’re good nerds here at Sock Dreams and know that of course the Star Wars tagline is “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”  So for Star Wars Day, I thought we’d use our hyperdrive to warp through some star socks.

• Snappy Star Garters •
• Lurex Star Leg Warmers •

• Star Laces •
• Neon Night Sky OTKs •

• Sock It To Me Space Knee Highs •
• Star Crews •

Sock lovers and Star Wars fans alike, may the “fourth” be with you and remember—these are the socks you’re looking for.

Funny enough, the first thing I thought of were Mrs. Robinson’s stockings in The Graduate.  This is from 1967, so they’re actual stockings, not stay-ups or thigh highs.  They’re so key to the film and character design that if you run a search for “The Graduate poster” about 90% of the posters that show up have Mrs. Robinson’s stockings right in the foreground.  For a similar sheer and sexy stocking, the Sheer Lace Top Stockings with Backseam in Black are a safe bet.

The very next thing I thought of was Clueless.  Maybe Cher doesn’t rock the craziest socks, but she does know the benefit of properly accessorising with knee highs.  The Opaque Solid Nylon Trouser Socks are a perfect match for accessorising Cher’s preppy looks.

Here’s where the other Dreamers stepped in and helped me think of more movies! A far more classic sock, that I cannot believe I didn’t think of, is the black and white striped number we see on the Wicked Witch of the East, after Dorothy’s house smushes her in The Wizard of Oz.  The N Stripes in Black & White are a sure bet for a match.

More films with socks as co-stars (or at least in cameos) after the jump!

Okay, well these aren’t socks, but we had to include the gloves John Bender wears in The Breakfast Club.  The Fingerless Motorcycle Gloves we carry may not be a perfect match, as they’re not net on the back, but they’re in the same spirit.  Though I couldn’t get a good image of it, Allison sports black tights and slouchy short socks like the EG ECO Organic Nuby Crews.

An obvious choice is Whip It.  Set in the awesome world of roller derby (and we love roller derby!), there are cool socks galore.  The Hurl Scouts tend to rock solid green tights like the Color Tights in Dark Green, but I also see some things that remind us of  rainbow knee highs, striped knee highs and maybe even some Gumball Poodle!

Speaking of the Color Tights, the Merlot is a pretty good match for Ramona’s legwear in Scott Pilgrim Saves the World.

I’m going to confess that I’m sort of into film costuming and have a terrible habit of focusing on the legwear in a movie, trying to figure out who makes it.  This makes it even more exciting that we got to help Ashley Russell, the costume designer for Fat Kid Rules the World, by donating socks for use in the film.

Once you start noticing socks in film it’s hard to stop!  What movies do you love that have great character socks and stockings?

The deadline is June 30 (but we’ll happily receive & possibly reward late entries too if they are really memorable… other rules? keep it clean and fun, quality counts. Individual images welcome, group shots, Bride & Groom, Bride & Bride, Groom & Groom… hopefully with some gorgeous dresses, slick suits, floral arrangements, wedding cake… the more it says “WEDDING!!!” in an image the better. How many images we pick and award really depends on how many great shots we receive. You can post them on our facebook page or send them to us via our contact page, or direct at info@ sock dreams .com

Happy shooting and good luck!!!

These are just a couple of the recycled cotton content styles you can find in our Dream Stockings.

• Super Stripes •
• Boy’s Socks •
• O Chevrons •

Our Dreamer Socks have another interesting kind of recycled fiber, the cotton blends are made from an 85% mix of regenerated cotton/acrylic/polyester. What’s “regenerated?”  It’s just another way of saying that the fiber used in these socks is also saved from scraps that would have been just thrown away!  So “regenerated” or “recycled”, our Sock Dreams brand socks are doing their best to reduce, reuse and recycle!  These are just three of the regenerated fiber blend styles offered in our Dreamer Socks.

• Dreamer Jacquard Ripple OTK •
• Harlequin Diamond OTK •
• Extraordinary Vertical Striped Cotton OTK •

Of course, we have way more socks than just our house brands, and a lot of them are eco-friendly.  Join us after the jump for more styles that love the earth and your toes!

One brand we carry that uses a lot of recycled cotton are the adorable, bright styles of QT Feet. With fun fairisle, pretty plaids and more; available in crews, knee highs and super comfy shorties.

• Sunrise Shorties •
• Contrast Three Stripe Knee Sock •
• Picnic Plaid Crews •

But it’s not just your toes that can be eco conscious!  These great arm warmers all keep the earth in mind, the Una brand uses several smart fibers including organic cotton, too!

• Knit Mitts •
• Winter Meadow Arm Cozies •
• Wonderland Colorblock Arm Warmer •

A favourite brand of ours, EG Smith, has their own line of eco-friendly options that use organic and recycled cotton.  They even donate portions of their profits from these styles to organisations that support an end to global warming!  With gorgeous patterns and textures, the EG ECO line is pretty and popular when it comes to socks made with an environmental conscience.

• EG ECO Organic Nuby Crew •
• EG ECO Ginkgo Leaves Crew •
• EG ECO Slinky Knees •

EG ECO also offers socks in wonderful hemp.  Any good sock lover knows that hemp is more than just what some folks associate it with.  Sturdy, lightweight and absorbent, hemp socks are great for warm weather and socks that last longer.

• EG ECO Hemp Birdseye Bootsock •
• EG ECO Natural Hemp Crew Socks •
• EG ECO Rolltop Tapestry Crew •

All these styles are just a drop in the eco-friendly bucket of smart styles that reduce, reuse and recycle resources to provide wonderful socks!  We have lots more in our Eco Friendly collection.

Anybody at extreme ends of size scales has problems finding things that fit and that they like.  Often you get used to wearing something that doesn’t quite fit and is a little uncomfortable, because it’s the closest to “right” that you can find.  We can’t guarantee that these styles are going to fit every US men’s shoe size 13, because feet come in so many shapes and sizes, but we want to give you options to work with and places to start looking.  There are brands that you can rely on having size 13 options, a couple of styles that fit higher than a US men’s shoe size 13 and it’s worth giving tube style socks a chance.

Let’s start with three socks with formed heels that are sized to fit larger than a US men’s size 13!  They may be plain black, but they run a range of styles. If you’re looking for something taller, the New Zealand Sock Lady Merino Thigh Highs also have a size that fits US men’s shoe size 14.5+, they’re the Extra Large, green banded, version.

• Authentic Military Bootsocks, Black and Olive are available in an Extra Large that fits up to size 14 •
• Wool Liner No Show Toe Sock, the Extra Large fits 13+ •
• ToeSox Toeless Ankle Socks with Grips, the Black come in an Extra Large that fits up to size 14 •

But what brands are good for larger feet? And are there tube socks that aren’t super boring?  Find out after the jump!

B.Ella midcalves (or “men’s socks” see What is a Midcalf? for more info) are sock size 10-13, which we’ve found fit men’s US shoe size 8-13.  We even know folks with narrow US men’s shoe size 14 who can rock the Maniche Tweed Boot Sock comfortably!  One thing to keep in mind with high wool content styles like these is washing them carefully.  Handwashing, like we’ve shown you in the Sock Journal before, is key to making sure you don’t lose that very important stretch that lets the socks fit your feet!

Enough babble! Here are some of the cozy and cool midcalves B.Ella offers.

• Franco Wool Boucle Striped Midcalf •
• Gaspare Men’s Crew Socks •
• Cesare Cashmere Blend Dot Socks •

 Now remember, when you’re looking through their styles, even if you see some feminine feet in the product shots for midcalves, don’t assume they’re dainty and remember to check the Sizing Tips!

Another brand to remember, especially if you’re into toe socks, is Injinji.  All of their styles are sized, and their Large fits US men’s shoe size 11-13. They have several great styles and lots of colours in each style, but here are some favourites:

• Eco Performance Rainbow Quarter Crew Toe Sock •
• Performance Liner No Show Toe Sock •
• Performance Liner Crew Toe Sock •

RockNSocks’ midcalves also fit up to a US men’s shoe size 13, so if stripes are your thing, they’re one to check out!

• Uma Striped Crew •
• Calliope Striped Crew •
• Apollo Striped Crew •

For amazing sport socks that are just as great daily socks, Dahlgren has three sizes that come in an Extra Large that fits US men’s shoe sizes 10-13.

• Expedition Knee Highs •
• Metro Argyle Midcalf •
• Thin Compression Knee High •

Now, ToeToe is a little tricky.  Their sized styles don’t fit up to a US men’s shoe size 13, but their larger footed midcalf options do.  Make sure to read those Sizing Tips!

• Contrast Midcalf Toe Sock •
• Striped Midcalf Toe Sock •
• Argyle Midcalf Toe Sock •

One last brand to look at is Tabbisocks.  They have three styles of tabi (y’know, “ninja socks” ) that fit far larger feet than the sizing label says.  Both the Bright Basic Tabi and the Fuji Mountain Tabi have been tested on a narrow US men’s size 14 foot and fit great!

• Kabuki Tabi Socks •
• Bright Basic Tabi Socks •
• Fuji Mountain Tabi Crew •

Okay, but what if you’re larger than a US men’s shoe size 13, or you have wide feet, or just want more options?  Tube style socks may be the way to go.  With no formed heel, they can accommodate a wide range of foot sizes.  There are two things to keep in mind with tube style socks:

How long is the sock?  A sock that is a knee high in the product picture may only reach mid-calf on larger feet, which means that a midcalf style like the Terry Loop Wool Walkers Toe Socks may be more of a crew or an anklet, even if you’re getting a size Large.  Check the Sizing Tips for the styles you’re looking at to find out how long the socks are.

How wide is your foot and calf? Wide feet often mean larger calves and you’ll want to check the Sizing Tips to find out the calf and cuff stretch for the socks you’re interested in.  It’d be no fun if the sock you find is long enough, but doesn’t have the stretch you need.

That said, here are three tube styles that may be just the thing.

• Mardi Gras Rainbow Toe Socks •
• Muscles Tube Socks •
• Dreamy Knee High Tube Socks •

Right now we don’t have a “search by size” option on the site (yet!) because socks fit a range of sizes and how wide or narrow your foot is can scoot you into a different sock size pretty easily.  Like any tricky fit question, you can drop us a line if you are looking for something specific.

Do you have larger feet?  What styles of ours do you like to rock?  We know some folks have to look outside of Sock Dreams for larger foot needs, what are your favourite sock resources for US men’s shoe size 13 and above?

Let’s start with pastel ruffles, for feet and a bit higher up . . .

clockwise from top: Textured Stripe Knee High in Pink, Micromesh Lace Ruffle Tanga Short in Light Blue, Puffy Chiffon Mini Petticoat in White w/Pink, Textured Stripe Knee High in White, Micromesh Lace Ruffle Tanga Short in Pink

More pretty pastels after the jump!

I know that gloves can be a traditional part of fancy Easter dress and there is something terribly lady-like about daintily gloved hands.  Maybe this one isn’t a “rainbow” since they’re all white or off-white.

clockwise from top: Fingerless Lace Gloves in Ivory, Lace Gloves with Ruffles in White, Elbow Length Fingerless Gloves in White,  Lace Gloves with Ruffles in Ivory, Lace Gloves with Ruffles Fingerless in White, Stretch Lace Wrist Length Gloves in White

Of course, not everyone who wants to rock springtime glove action wants white lace.  So how about some soft and satin styles in similar subtle tints?

clockwise from top: Alpaca Beehive Knit Shorties in Pink, Microfiber Chenille Arm Warmers in Camel, Orkney Angora Wrist Warmers in Natural, Classic Satin Gloves in Light Pink, Microfiber Chenille Arm Warmers in White, Isabel Handwarmer in Natural

Of course, we can’t talk about sweet, soft shades without mentioning the O Lovelies and the Ethereal Arm Warmers!

Clockwise from top: O Lovelies in Pebble, O Lovelies in Blush, Ethereal Arm Warmers in Lavender, O Lovelies in Robin’s Egg, O Lovelies in Pearl, Ethereal Arm Warmers in Pink

There are a bunch of pretty pastels in our wide wonderland of socks, but the Spring collection is a good place to start for those light layers and lovely shades of spring. How about you? Do you start adding frothy, frilly pastels to your wardrobe this time of year?

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?