| Tights are skin-tight articles of clothing used by | | | | wool, while the common people wore tights made |
| both men and women to cover the legs and is | | | | of coarser fabrics. |
| worn from waist to feet. Tights are popular | | | | Today, tights are mainly made of nylon and lycra |
| among girls and women and worn by infants and | | | | in a wide variety of modern blends. Some of the |
| toddlers as well. They are also common among | | | | common types include stretchable, opaque, |
| theater and dance performers, runners, and | | | | striped, and patterned tights. |
| wrestlers. The tights used by athletes are usually | | | | A more modern form of tights has evolved which |
| footless and are made of thick spandex. | | | | is known as pantyhose. The main difference |
| The origin of tights can be traced back to the | | | | between tights and pantyhose is in the thickness |
| Renaissance age. The wearing of tights became a | | | | and weight of the yarn used. The thickness of |
| fashion among the men, during the period of King | | | | the yarn used in pantyhose usually reaches only |
| Henry VIII of England. The men wore them to | | | | 40 denier, while that used for tights is much |
| display their well-toned legs. These tight-fitting | | | | higher. |
| garments were originally developed as a costume | | | | World-class companies including Calvin Klein and |
| for those riding on horseback. During the 16th and | | | | Donna Karen offer tights for all body sizes and |
| 17th centuries, European men popularly wore | | | | shapes. Today, tights are available in a variety of |
| tights. The nobles wore tights made of silk or fine | | | | colors and types, as well. |