EVELYSS / Guides / Fashion Sense

How to Stop Tights Falling Down (Sizing, Pulling Them Up Properly and Quick Fixes)

“Tights that sag aren't a body problem, they're a length problem. When there isn't enough fabric in the leg, it borrows from the crotch, and your tights spend the day trying to escape to your knees.”Her take

Why do tights keep falling down?

Tights need enough fabric in the leg to reach your waist without strain. If they're too short for your height, the knit stretches tight down the leg and the gusset gets pulled lower with every step. The waistband then rolls, the crotch drops, and you're hitching them up by lunchtime.

The other common causes are a weak or narrow waistband that rolls over, a low-rise cut on a high-waisted body, and pulling tights up by the waistband in one go, which stretches the top and leaves slack lower down.

How to pick the right size

Ignore your dress size. Turn the packet over and find the chart, which usually crosses height against hip measurement. Measure your hips around the fullest part, check your height, and pick the size where both fall. If you're between sizes, or you're tall, go up one.

If you're tall or curvy, look for tights sold in tall or extended sizes, and check the stated leg length if it's listed. Petite? Tights that are far too long gather and wrinkle at the ankles, and the extra fabric can drag down too, so the right height band matters both ways.

How to put tights on so they stay up

This takes a minute longer and saves the whole day.

• Sit down. Gather one leg of the tights into your hands down to the toe, like a doughnut.
• Slip your toes in, line up the heel, and roll the fabric up over your ankle and calf a little at a time.
• Stop at the knee and do the other leg the same way.
• Stand up and ease the fabric up each thigh in small pinches, spreading it evenly, until the gusset sits right up against your body.
• Only then pull the waistband up to your waist. It should sit flat without being stretched to its limit.
• Finish by smoothing upwards from the ankle once more to move any slack to the top.

What to look for in tights that don't slip

Check the waistband: a wide, flat, comfortable band grips better and rolls less than a thin elastic cord. A high-waisted cut sits above the hip bone, where it's held in place, rather than on the hip, where it slides.

Look at the crotch. A diamond or panel-shaped gusset with a cotton lining gives the fabric somewhere to sit and is usually more comfortable than a single seam across the middle. Thicker deniers and tights with some elastane tend to recover their shape better through the day than very sheer, cheap pairs.

Quick fixes on the day

Already dressed and they're slipping? Put your knickers on over your tights instead of under. It's an old trick that genuinely holds the gusset in place. Snug cycling shorts or a slip short over the top do the same job and stop thigh rub too.

A high-waisted skirt or trousers with a fitted waistband over the tights also pins them in position. If tights simply never stay up on you, try hold-ups with a silicone band, or footless tights or leggings with socks in boots.

How to make tights last and keep their grip

Heat wears out elastane, which is what makes the waistband and legs grip. Wash tights cool in a mesh bag, skip fabric softener, and dry them flat or over a rail rather than on a radiator or in the dryer. Retire tights once the waistband has gone wavy; no technique will save a stretched-out band.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

Size by height and hips, not dress size, roll the legs up in stages until the gusset sits snug, choose a wide high waistband, and wear knickers on top if they still slide.

Read next