Fully Fashioned Stockings from Wish

Seamed Stockings are very close to our hearts at What Katie Did, with Fully Fashioned Stockings in particular. When I started What Katie Did in 1999, stockings were all I sold. If there’s one thing that bugs me, it’s fake Fully Fashioned Stockings being sold as the genuine article!

If you're new to retro style hosiery, or hosiery of any kind, then the terminology can be confusing - but help is at hand!

Check out our guide to hosiery and all will be revealed.

Last year I reviewed a pair of fake fully fashioned stockings I bought from AliExpress which were actually not that bad (while they weren’t fully fashioned, they were stockings and were wearable which is more than I expected!) but this year I went to Wish. I’ve already reviewed a Wish Corset and Waist Trainer and now I’m on to Wish Fully Fashioned Stockings. This time around, all three garments have been a total loss.

What made these Wish fully fashioned stockings catch my eye is that they were branded ‘Eleganti’ and used Eleganti’s images and description. While it is common for vendors on Wish and AliExpress to steal images from reputable brands, over the last couple of years it has been less common to actually lift all the information from the brand. When you see a photograph of a Catherine D’lish robe or some beautiful rhinestoned fishnets by d.bleu.dazzled on Wish, they tend not to mention the brand name. Just to make one thing clear: both Catherine D’lish and d.bleu.dazzled create their own unique lines in the USA. If you purchase pieces that look the same as theirs on Wish or AliExpress you will be in for a shock when they arrive.

Eleganti were the first British Fully Fashioned Stocking brand I found out about in the UK, and this must be going back to 1996. When I worked at fetish boutique Skin Two we used to import Sweet Caroline 3975 fully fashioned stockings from the US (anyone remember them?) but in pre internet days ordering from the other side of the world was not easy. At a fetish fair, I met a wonderful lady who ran a school for naughty girls (not a real school of course, but for real girls!) and she had her own branded fully fashioned stockings. She was so authentic that when I asked the price she gave it to me in old money! (Pre decimalisation in shillings and pence if you’re young). She also gave me the contact information for Eleganti and we started stocking them at Skin Two.

Eleganti fully fashioned stockings are made on vintage Reading machines in Nottingham, England. It’s not possible to make fully fashioned stockings on modern machinery as the seam is an integral part of the design and actually holds the stocking together. Armed with this information, and my history with the brand, I’m sure you can understand why I couldn’t resist purchasing these fake fully fashioned stockings from Wish.

There are several issues when purchasing from Wish or AliExpress. The two are ethical ones are, you really have no idea what the factory conditions are like for the workers and you really have no idea if the item you buy is ripped off from another designer. The third, is the fact that you have no guarantee that the piece you buy will be anything like the photograph or description. If it isn’t, it’s virtually impossible to return so your money is wasted. And yes, my money certainly was wasted when it came to these fake fully fashioned stockings.

The only good thing about my Wish stockings is that they were actually stockings. Not fully fashioned stockings, but stockings all the same. They were sheer black nylon and did have a fake seam.

The foot and seam were not well finished but that’s not the main issue. The welt: oh the welt! The top of the welt was finished by an inch wide bit of elasticated stocking which looked tiny!

When I put the stocking on it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be; I didn’t think I’d be able to get the stocking on at all. It dug in a lot and certainly wasn’t comfortable even for the duration of making the video. It’s as if they were trying to make a hold up without any silicone and had no idea how to finish the top of the stocking. The elastic would make attaching a suspender clip impossible and even if your leg was slender enough for the stocking top not to dig in, it would roll down as soon as you moved.

If you're new to retro style hosiery, or hosiery of any kind, then the terminology can be confusing - but help is at hand!

Check out our guide to hosiery and all will be revealed.

Last year’s foray into fake fully fashioned stockings, this time from AliExpress, was a little more successful. While the stockings were certainly not fully fashioned, and featured what I call a ‘hairy’ seam, and had Cuban heel that finished half way up my calf, they did have a lovely vintage style welt and they did fit.

So please take this as a warning! If you do find a bargain pair of fully fashioned stockings on Wish, or AliExpress, or eBay, that look too good to be true, they probably will be! If you don’t want to take any risks and ensure you do purchase genuine fully fashioned stockings you know where to look ;-)