Kayser, feel my fatty rage

On 30 August, 2010 · 25 Comments · In Fashion

I don’t normally do this sort of thing, but right now I’m mopping up tears of frustration. After searching for sheer black pantyhose for a long time I went into Myer the other day I was surprised to find that the Kayser Plus Resilience Pantyhose size chart would accommodate my legs. This afternoon I tried the stockings on and found that they laddered within seconds and were way too short for me.

Cue Angry Email Writing Natalie. Pacific Brands own Kayser (hey check out the “Body Slimming” product images on EVERY PAGE!) so I directed my strained rage to their feedback page.

Good afternoon

I’m writing to express my disappointment and distress at finding your Kayser Plus Resilience Pantyhose are neither plus sized or resilient. I bought a pair of these pantyhose to wear to an interstate fashion event tomorrow night, and tried them on to gauge how well they’d suit my outfit and found that not only was the sizing chart drastically incorrect, a long ladder had started to stretch from the thigh downwards.

I’m a plus size fashion blogger at definatalie.com and have long found it hard to find decent, attractive and reliable pantyhose from size 18 upwards, and when I found the Kayser Plus product I was surprised to see that the size range would fit me. Now that I understand the chart is misleading and the product is of very low quality, I’ll be sure to pass this information on to my readership of over 1,000 and my twitter following of over 2,000.

I’d be pleased to work with your buyers and manufacturers to find or develop a hosiery product that actually fits plus size bodies. There’s a market that isn’t just being ignored here – it’s being disenchanted. Right now, Pacific Brands is doing a woefully inadequate job of meeting market demand.

Until then, I’ll be shopping at We Love Colors for all my hosiery. They don’t do sheer pantyhose, but at least they fit and don’t ladder.

Regards
Natalie Perkins
definatalie.com

So let me follow through: Don’t buy Kayser “Plus” pantyhose unless you are under 5’5″ and are partial to the laddered stocking aesthetic. The waistband of these pantyhose rolled down when I managed to yank them up over my butt too. These hosiery are reportedly “Specially designed for the fuller figure” but it certainly seems there’s a limit to the fullness of figure that Kayser cater to.

The most distressing thing is that NONE of the hosiery Myer stock in their “Larger Figures” section will fit me if Kayser Plus don’t fit me. Nope, I checked all the size charts. Voodoo, Levante… um… Kayser… yeh, that was it. I’ll be slapping my keyboard with rage in Myer’s direction shortly too – when we were in the store, one of the staff made a “fatty” gesture when referring to a customer. She actually held her arms out either side of her body to imitate someone a lot fatter than her. One of the benefits of shopping online is never having to encounter douchebag staff like that (and Myer don’t really have a fabulous selection of plus size fashion in Brisbane stores anyway!)

So yep. Bare legs tomorrow night at the Chambord awards, and now you know why.

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  • http://www.australianfatshion.com Sonya

    Ugh, I am totally disgusted and rage-filled for you right now. How frustrating.

  • http://twitter.com/MadamQ Madam Q

    Do they own Razzamattazz? Because their 'Curvaceous' brand is terrible since it changed its name from 'Size Wize'. They used to fit me just fine and then suddenly, while I am the same size, they don't. It's like they just made the regular tights legs 50% longer and not any wider. And the fabric is worse, scratchier and not as stretchy. WLC here I come with my money I tried to spend locally but couldn't.

  • Lilacsigil

    RAGE! I'm bigger than you and can't find any reliable source of hosiery in Australia, though impractical sexy lingerie on ebay certainly comes in my size!

  • Sarahwhite

    I feel your rage and good on you for using your public profile. Hopefully they are shaking in their ladder run stocking socks.
    When I needed a pair of black sheers for a wedding earlier in the year I also traipsed around and found the selection lacking. I nearly got ones like you mentioned but then remembered that they never fit like the package says. So I saved my money and got a pack of 4 cheapie sheers from Big W. They were a fantastic fit for my tall and very large body.

  • http://www.axisoffat.com Zoe

    So rage inducing I don't even know where to start. I will definitely be avoiding them from now on. It's bad enough when you're sized out of the charts, but when they're misleading enough to force you to spend $20 to try them on it's even worse.

  • http://twitter.com/MadamQ Madam Q

    Oh and that “comfort panel” Kayser and certain other manufacturers put in? NOT COMFORTABLE. Levante even advertises “no annoying fatty panel!” on their packets. Grah.

  • http://twitter.com/blogtobealive Valerie D.

    That sucks. :( Sounds like the same problem I had with Ann Harvey tights. Even the size 26/28 don't fit my size 22! I complained about it in the store, and the lady who is much larger than me said she fit in them without problem. Hmm…

  • http://extralargeaslife.com/ Natalie Mulford

    *shakes fist* That is so frustrating. I hate it when that happens!

    If you are looking for some good plus size plain stockings, I buy mine from Woolworths. You can find a couple here HERE. Razzamatazz does a great collection of Size Wise tights! My latest OOTD show the extra thick black in size 2. I've worn them about 6 times and have no holes & they fit great!

    Full range info at http://www.razzamatazz.com.au/

  • Anonymous

    Good for you for writing this.

    I am 5′ 5″ and a size 14/16 and I have this “problem” with every pair of tights I’ve owned – the waist roll-down. I’ve actually just given up. But I know larger and taller women are able to find hose and tights. I’m just impressed with their secret knowledge I apparently don’t have. Yes I tried We Love Colors and was tugging all night.

    Anyway – thank you for your work and I’m sorry about the crappy hose.

  • Meep

    Believe it or not, Coles’ “Fuller Figure” range is actually pretty great – and for much less than you’d pay for Kayser or Razzamastupid! I’ve worn the sheer hose from Coles for a few years now, and it’s been pretty faithful to me so far, and I am ridiculously tall AND fat!

  • Kaviare

    I’ve completely given up on pantihose. Ever. I am only a size 18, but try finding something that doesn’t roll stright down. I DO have one pair of Kayser plus sized pantihose that a larger friend gave to me as they don’t fit her. They JUST fit me, with lots of tugging, as long as I wear a second pair of undies over the top to prevent the roll down.

    I have straight size friends who buy the fat lady tights, because it’s the only way they get enough length to fit their average length legs. I don’t know WHO kayser et al is designing their tights for, but not only ain’t it you or me, it ain’t straight sized women, either.

    These days I just wear knee socks. I have been known to wear footless tights and knee socks over the top, in a weird, pretend tights effort.

    My last seriously disappointing myer experience was trying to find some bike-short typw things to stop thigh chafing. The only thing was (very exxy!) shapeware. I bought one four sizes too big for me, since I had no desire to shape. I still couldn’t fit into them. They are sitting crossly shoved into one of my drawers, and I am wearing $15 shorts from Supre under my skirt today.

  • http://twitter.com/BigGirlBlue BigGirlBlue

    Soooo frustrating. You should email We Love Colors too to put in a request for a sheer style. I’m sure they would be open to new product ideas.

  • Pink Soprano

    The Kayser tights are awful! I bought them once because they were cheaper than the Levantes I usually buy but never again!

    If you haven’t tried Levantes Plus Size tights, it might be worth doing so despite what the packaging says. I’m pretty rubbish at figuring out what size other people are but I’m 170cm, around 130kgs and wear a size 20-22 in City Chic pants and the larger size of Levantes tights is comfortable-to-slightly-big on me. I’m pretty sure the size chart stops at smaller than me, but the tights themselves don’t. They’re also really good quality and I’ve been buying them for years.

  • Mel Stringer

    Fuller figure means size 14. LOLLLLL

    FUCK THAT SHIT. seriously. makes me fukin’ mad, miss Natalie P.

    Dont cry! I’m glad u wrote a letter. ‘Fuller Figure’ is so politically correct ..guh..

    Maybe they should label their products better. Maybe you should
    start an online store. Tights For Chubby Gals. Straight to the point!

    Mel xxxxxoxx

  • http://twitter.com/meganrogers Megan

    my problem with tights/stockings is that when I do get them on, they never fit at the crotch and are super duper tight around the top of my thighs, no matter what style I get they always do this.

  • http://buttontreelane.blogspot.com Michelle

    Oh, I feel your rage! Thank God for We Love Colors, as we sure aren’t getting too much in Australia! I bought ridiculously priced Levante and Kayser (which apparently are the same company?) patterned tights from David Jones. The Levante aren’t too bad – at least their sizing is true. Bu the Kayser is hopeless! Maybe if I was about 20 kilos lighter and 5 inches shorter I’d be OK, but in the meantime I have to walk around looking like a bow-legged duck. So I just don’t wear them.

    I hope they get back to you with your concerns, and improve their range and sizing by next winter!

  • alison

    “There’s a market that isn’t just being ignored here – it’s being disenchanted.” To me, this sentence says it all. I’m sorry you had such a shitty pantyhose experience, and I hope that Pacific Brands has the good sense to respond to your very well-written email in a meaningful way.

  • Rosalee

    At first I was surprised at the vitriol towards RazzaMatazz posted here but it made me reflect on my tight wearing experience. I’m 6ft tall, a size 24/26 and an apple shape (so find it very hard to find tights that won’t slip down over my hipless shape) and I used to think I was pretty happy with Curvaceous. I don’t their 70 denier tights, and have always found the sheers to work great, but in truth, looking at it now, I’ve always thought the fabric was itchy and they pill easily. I guess I was only happy with them because they were the only ones I could find!
    I recently bought their 120 denier and they are super soft and streatchy but slip down! And don’t get me started on their fashion tights for the fuller figure! Highland Fling Size 2 (like the others) and they were so hard to get on, I put a hole in them straight away and once I got them over thighs there was no way they were going any higher!
    I FEEL THE RAGE!

  • Robyn from MiSociety

    Hi Natalie
    Great to meet you at the Chambord Shine Awards final. Love your blast at Kayser – go get ‘em girl. I wore a pair of Leona Edminson tights the other night and had to race to a loo at a railway station as after a short walk the waist band had slipped over my but as was inching it’s way to my knees. What ever happened to product testing – they obviously don’t do that in China!!! These ones were the largest she makes and were to fit a size 12-14 (that says something). They fitted okay but the waist band is so weak if I wear them again I’ll have to glue them up or get some sky hooks. Ciao Robyn (MiSociety)

  • Anonymous

    I’ve had the same problem with Myer! I can buy plus size tights at Coles but prefer stockings that actually last more than a few wears and therefore 99% are from We Love Colours. As I don’t wear trousers, that’s a lot of tights!

  • Anonymous

    I’ve had the same issue with the Size Wise change! Wish i’d bought a heap back last year!

  • Beclove22

    Big W have plus size that fit!!!!! I forget what brand tho! go check it out Natalie!

  • Ms.Snickerpants

    Oh my gosh! I thought it was just me. I was in Myer’s in Sydney in January (I am from Canada) searching for appropriate summer time wear with my friend. We went to the jeans section and the woman was SO rude to me and said something like “well we wouldn’t have anything in YOUR size in this department” and gave me a very unveiled look of disgust. (I think I would be maybe 2 sizes above their largest?)

    I was pretty disappointed in that store that day. So I agree- a ban on Myers, they are overpriced anyway!

  • Nikkimay

    Have you ever looked at Sock Dreams? They have lots of great socks, tights, and accessories. They are pretty good about describing the sizing, both listing what the manufacturer says and what they’ve experienced.

    Here’s the link; http://www.sockdreams.com/products/sock-collections/plus-sized/

    I’ve also found that using a garter belt with thigh highs can offer more flexibility than tights.

    I hope you find the sheers you’re looking for!

  • Guest

    HI there
    I’ve only just found the I love Colours brand, however I used to work for Pacific Brands… did you ever get a reply??? just wondering thats all…. whenever we used to get letters like this to our division (sports wear) we always followed up with the consumer.

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