ONE OF the joys of winter is tugging on thick tights again. After a summer of bare legs - sugaring, shaving and fake tan - the in-between stage of thin tights that ladder as you take them out of the packet, what bliss it is to put your legs in hiding again and feel warm and cosy too.

We've been looking at the in-between tights, 40 and 50 denier, often described as semi-opaque. They're thin enough to look smart but tough enough to take some wear. Pretty ideal really. Except that some are more ideal than others...

GOOD NEWS

In the couple of years since we last tested these tights, standards have improved enormously. Every pair we tried was wearable - which wasn't always the case - and at least a reasonable sort of a fit on all the different shapes and sizes of the testers, from Small to Extra Large. However , we soon sorted out our favourites.....

BEST BUY

ASDA SOFT TOUCH Body Response

£2.25

"Warms your body when it's cool, cools your body when it's hot." These were cheap and cheerful, fitted well, felt soft and comfortable and seemed more expensive than they actually were. The only snag with them was that they didn't seem to give an even cover and though they lasted well through a couple of washings, didn't seem to have the durability of the others. But at this price, we weren't going to complain.

NICEST TIGHTS

PRETTY POLLY

£4

Felt very luxurious and fitted very well on smallest and largest testers. Nice even colour. Wash well and feel just as good after third or fourth washings. With a bit of luck - and tidy toenails - these could last all winter.

GOOD BUYS

Boots Satin touch

50 denier £5.00

Boots tights have always done well in our tests, though we went off them a bit last year. However these were back to their previous standard. Looked good, felt good, extremely comfortable, washed well and kept their colour.

SAINSBURYS GLOSS

£2.66

Slightly odd fit in the legs, but comfortable and with a nice glossy finish.

WOOLWORTHS LUXURY VELVET

40 denier £2.99

These felt, fitted and looked like much more expensive tights. The give-away was the toes, which seemed a bit thin and vulnerable. But so far, so good, these have washed and worn well.

NOT BAD FOR THE PRICE

BHS

40 denier, 2 pairs for £3.50

These fitted well and looked good, if a bit thin. The problem was that they didn't stand up to washing very well - colour began to fade and they looked a bit snagged. But they were the cheapest we tested and are good value for money.

CO-OP

40 denier for £1.99

Not a bad fit, though it's probably wise to get a size bigger than normal. Felt nice and soft, but, like the BHS tights, lost their looks after washing.

DISAPPOINTING

MARKS & SPENCER

Body And Leg Shaper, Body Sensor - warm when cool, cool when warm. £5.

Body shaper tights are meant to hold you in. Sometimes that feels a bit corset-like and both small and large testers felt strangled round the waist and tops of legs. However, though the tights cling in those parts, they don't cling where we would like them to and we ended up with Nora Batty ankles. Seriously unflattering. Shame, for once you've actually got into these tights, they are very soft. They also wash well.

NEXT

40 denier £3.99

These were beautifully packaged, but... although not cheap, they felt like cheap tights, a bit thin and likely to snag. One tester thought them a good fit, but the rest thought them saggy and baggy

VERDICT

You don't have to spend a lot of money for decent tights, but for once, we're calling for extra packaging. Some tights are in sealed packs, others are sold with just a cardboard label round them, which means while they're hanging on the rack they're vulnerable to browsers' nails and watches and to the sticky hands of small children. One pair even caught on the wire of the shopping trolley before we got them to the checkout. When so many things like batteries, cotton reels and hand cream come in unassailable bubble packs, another layer on something as fragile as tights seems like a good idea.

Published: 30/11/01