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Puffer

Unisex Boots From Y S L

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Yes, a perfect type of exercise.  My poor eyesight coupled with city drivers/traffic  would probably get me flattened quickly though!

I don't ride on roads. Either dedicated cycle paths (which are not part of any roadway), or 'offroad' meaning across country. 

My current vehicle:

Rockrider_65.thumb.jpg.2f94cd92b38de0b0a

This is a makers promo photo, but for the pedals it's identical to mine. B)

For the price, a lovely bit of kit. ;)

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That looks the business.

i am more of a classicist myself - old-style touring bicycles with drop bars, quill stems, horizontal top tube, Brooks leather saddle, quill pedals with toe clips, friction shifters (either bar end, or on the down-tube)

I am not an off-road cyclist, purely a road guy...

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By way of getting the thread back on track, by an almost unbelievable "link" .....

 

Was at Brent Cross today. Had some social activity I could no longer avoid.

Walking around one of the bigger stores, I looked at every pair of boots on display. This frequently involved picking up anything of interest, mostly to check for heel height. I use my middle finger which provides a measurement depending on where the heel ends on my knuckle. (Mrs Freddy has assured me, given the chance that finger will get removed. Charming eh?)

So I'm mooching around the LADIES shoe section in Fenwicks, alone (in a heeled boot), picking up high heeled long boots or ankle boots. Along comes a young lady, and asks if she can help. I respond that I'm okay at the moment, thank you. Big smile and lots of enthusiasm. there was nothing there I really wanted to try. Some Dune branded ankle boots at £175 were a ridiculous price given the questionable quality of Dune shoes.... Even if they were a perfect fit NOTHING would induce me to buy them.

 

563d5165f01e8_DuneOraat175.thumb.jpg.8b5

 

And the link? The helpful assistant was wearing flat knee boots .... And cycling shorts:blink: :D 

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And back off-thread .....

Also saw some 'shiny' leggings in M+S today (same location - free parking innit.)

Lady 'dresser' was putting a pair on a mannequin that was positioned quite close to the front of the store. I have a thing for shiny leggings so .... The lady told me these would be popular in the smaller sizes, (6 and 8) with the younger customer. Struggling, she said they looked great on, but were very tight. Given it took her the better part of 10 minutes to get the leggings on an inanimate object, I don't doubt her word. I am currently working out how I could possibly justify owning another pair of these, at this price too. I paid £7 or £8 EACH for the H+M versions. These come in at £25. 

 

563d54e8a2554_MSfauxleatherleggings-Autu

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If these came with a leather shoe attached with a 4½ to 5 inch heel, I doubt I would ever take them off. The "tight" suggesting they are not so much small, more super stretchy, that happens to be a very alluring attribute. (Which may be why they might actually be suitable for cycling. ;) :D) Not that I would wear such an expensive/attractive garment for cycling. :rolleyes:

As with my H+M versions, either the outline of the mannequins underwear or the shape built into the model, made the details of the undergarments visible. I'm thinking (for a girl) a very fine string type thong - or 'commando' for that clean look. Another reason they might be more popular with the younger rather than older woman; modesty. Mrs Freddy won't wear anything like it, despite her 'respectable' shape. Probably just as well, given my age. ;) :D

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M+S had a 20% reduction on womens styles over the weekend. I have ordered a 12 and 14 to try on. I think they are doing returns on current purchases, to the other side of Christmas at the moment. That being the case, even I should be able to find time to take a 'selfie' of me in them. Probably best if I try to get it done before, Christmas though? ;) :D

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Would like a pair of leggings but what has stop me buying any is that I,m almost 6 foot tall and  the fit my not be right. Leggings my not be long enough. Edit.

Having just said that and using that last link I could just buy a long pair.

 

Edited by Heels

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10 hours ago, Heels said:

Having just said that and using that last link I could just buy a long pair.

 

 

I was surprised too, they came in a long length.

 

Bad news for regarding my order .... It was cancelled because the person doing the ordering, didn't add the 20% voucher code. Then when she went to reorder some 20 minutes later, all the quantities had doubled up and it proved too much of a challenge to rectify that. (Novice on-line shopper.) The discount will come around again in a month or so, but I'll pay full price to try some on. I had planned to keep a pair at the £20 price. I've no idea why .... :rolleyes:

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4 hours ago, Shyheels said:

M&S website is pretty useless to order from...

 

I've not found that. Though it does seem harder for some than others? They do run out of some lines quite quickly I've found which can be quite frustrating. End of line sales, are a complete waste of time, unless you are a size 24 with very short legs.

Was out tonight in heels, and bought a 12 and a 14 at £25 each to try for size. As I sit writing this, I'm wondering why I didn't try them on immediately I got home? :D

Oh yeah, was making a cup of coffee first, then sat down while the kettle was boiling and got immersed in H4M. ;)

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I can't say I've personally had difficulties - I never order from them - but my wife does and I hear her complain about it regularly. Don't know the specifics... I know she also says their quality control is pretty poor and that you can get two of something in the same size and find they are radically different. 

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I would agree on that. The "long" in their jeans (of which I have many) have to be trawled for the right length. It has taken some time, but I have two pairs of the 'perfect' jeans with 34" inside leg. A frequent/familiar user of M+S (ie your wife - possibly) will know, M+S don't do a 34" leg. The reason it took so long to find these, wasn't the absence of a 34" in what is supposed to be a 33" leg (aka "Long"), but finding two pairs that had the left leg sewn straight, was a problem. The first couple of pairs I bought, and perhaps the next 10 I didn't buy, all had a twisted seam on the left leg. If I'm honest, one of the two pairs I settled with has a slightly wonky hem on one leg, but is so minute even I struggle to see it when they are worn. I had to wait until the first 'batch' was sold out, and I bought from the second or third wave of replenishment.

I've found Primarni (Primark) have a much more reliable product. I bought some mens jeans from them, before they went to 'worn out look' only. A bit baggy, so I don't wear them any longer, but ALL the 34" leg lengths were 34". Mrs Freddy won't even go into a Primarni (bit of a clothes snob) but their clothing is as good as anything M+S produce, in the (cheaper) lines that they sell. 

As I mentioned, I bought a 12 and a 14 in the shiny leggings. Not much between them, but enough. I didn't notice at the time of purchase, but they are both 'long' which is a mixed blessing. It means they are long enough if I bend my leg (don't ride up) but are ever-so-slightly too long. Picture to follow.

The 12's are a perfect fit, if I say so myself. Again long. (Duh!) This is perhaps no bad thing as I think these are the only size already sold out on-line. However, some of the thread used may not have been elasticated. As I put them on, I could feel the thread breaking on the waistband, and as I took them off, on the leg seams too. Just to confirm, these are stretchy, and I've no hips or arse to speak of (refer to picture) so I've not over-stretched anything. The 14's are almost identical but for half an inch and I had no problems with those. A woman/girl getting the 12's on, would have had to yank them significantly more than I did, so someone has done something wrong somewhere. I had this once with a BHS garment. I could feel the waistband 'popping' threads as I put it on. As I say, I've no hips/bum to speak of, so it was much easier for me to get the BHS item on, than it would have been for a girl. Faulty then...

The M+S leggings are really attractive, and feel nice to wear. I sat in the 12's and actually forgot I had them on. The 14's had a slightly looser waist, and allowed a little rippling on the leg at the knee. I'm not overly keen on a loose waist, as this allows the garment to get 'pulled' down my legs. The 12's were great. If I can find a pair that don't have the breaking thread problem, I will buy a 'keeper' pair if I can get them with discount. £5 isn't a great deal of money, but it's enough to tip the scales to a point of being too expensive to keep. Since I have a 12 Long here that are faulty, I'm wondering if the 12 Long sold out so quickly because they are ALL faulty, and people like me have bought several times to find a pair that are made correctly?  

Picture added. B)

5643e388b35c7_Allthreepairs-sml.jpg.b653

 

The only 'work' done to these, has been cropping, and hiding a light socket that was in frame. Ohh, and disguising the inner seam of my cheap spanx. (Worn only so as to not frighten - or amuse anyone.) ;)

Edited by FastFreddy2

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I been wanting a pair of leggings for some time now. Black and shiny leggings that were shown earlier on this thread were ideal.I do like clothes from M&S and meant to be well made. When I look on the web site the other day I checked to see if they still had a size 16 in stock and they did. Only thing is going by their sizing and since have a 36 inch waist I should be going for a size 18 and they don't have any in stock.  Is £25 to much for a pair of leggings. If I only buy 1 pair leggings maybe not but, knowing me I would have to have more then one pair!

Should point out that I,ve been looking on Ebay and found nothing suitable

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I am not ashamed to say that I miss C&A.   I always found its trousers, jumpers and shirts to be a good fit, hard-wearing and reasonably priced.   But Primark has more or less filled the gap and probably has more variety in casual clothes.   That said, I now buy very few clothes as I have more than enough already - including some very nice cast-offs (mainly shirts and jeans) from my two sons (now 37 and 34), who seem to get bored with good-quality stuff and are glad to ditch it.   (Although we are all the same shoe size, we don't seem to share footwear; I don't think our tastes really coincide and the boys certainly don't wear heels - as far as I know!)

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42 minutes ago, Puffer said:

I am not ashamed to say that I miss C&A. 

 

We made the mistake of going to Fuengirola on mainland Spain, some years ago. A seven day booking that had us held at Luton for the first day because there wasn't an air crew available ... We got to the resort the following morning at 5.30am. Things went down hill from there .... :rolleyes:

One of the places we found worth a visit, was the "Centro Comercial Miramar" at the Southern end of the resort. You'll never guess what we found inside:huh:

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9 hours ago, Heels said:

Should point out that I,ve been looking on Ebay and found nothing suitable

You must be looking in the wrong place surely, or is size an issue? Two years ago the shops were full of 'wet look' 'black liquid' leggings. Topshop had lots, as did River Island (pricey) and New Look. I bought a few pairs myself . . . 

 

5643efd5b25e1_Wetlookleggings.thumb.jpg.

 

Regarding the pictures newly added above: (L to R)

H&M faux leather slim trouser. Originally £16 but bought at discount. Sizing accurate, UK12 worn by model. ;) :D

Primarni leggings at £6. This style were made of two different materials, which led to me having to swap/return some that were less stretchy. They came up small, and not wishing to tear them in use, I bought a size up. *Editors choice.*

M+S Limited Edition shiny leggings at £25 but they do monthly 20% discounts, so could be had at £20 if stock is available. The UK12's shown were not made correctly, but the larger size 14 were fine. (Thread did not break on the 14's even when fully stretched.) These were both the glossiest legging tested, and the most expensive. To help put the pricing into perspective; Topshop versions were originally sold for circa £20/£22, the New Look ones around £14/£16, Can't be sure, but the River Island ones would have been at least £25, and would have come up small in size. I mention the RI sizing in case anyone considers buying at auction. (Not only members read these pages.)

 

What the pictures can't tell you is how they felt to wear. The H&M trousers were the most constrictive, which was pleasant, and understandable given the thickness of the material. They were not sold as leggings even if they fit like a pair.

The M+S leggings were easily the more comfortable, feeling no more restrictive than tights (hose). Those shown were a 'long' and I will also road test the regular size in time. All three pairs had around an inch of length tucked up internally for the photo's.

 

The cheapo/imitation spanx used to maintain modesty, have a seam forward of the inside leg and a rolled edge on the hem of the legs. Both the inner seam and the leg hem were clearly visible through the Primarni and M+S leggings. Pictures that might have been used in place of those shown, have been omitted because of the seams that were visible.

 

All the photo's were taken on a Lumix G5 with 20mm f1.7 pancake lens. Manual focus was used, with a 10 second timer. Distance to camera was around 5-6ft which has shortened the apparent length of the models legs. Exposure was left to the camera (this time). Natural light was used, which played havoc with exposure settings, as you can see from the varying contrast levels in the photo's. 

Edited by FastFreddy2
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Quite a comprehensive review.

My wife used to wear a stunning pair of PVC trousers back in her rock-chic days. Not the kind of thing she would wear any more. 

I always thought it would be fun to try on a pair of PVCs to see what they felt like on, but never quite had the nerve (Lycra tights for cycling is my limit). 

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4 hours ago, Shyheels said:

My wife used to wear a stunning pair of PVC trousers back in her rock-chic days. Not the kind of thing she would wear any more. 

I always thought it would be fun to try on a pair of PVCs to see what they felt like on, but never quite had the nerve (Lycra tights for cycling is my limit). 

 

Mine too, when she was two dress sizes smaller (6/8). She still looks good in tight shiny clothes, but would not leave the house wearing anything like that "because I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb". She came home with a 'faux' leather dress that looks great and cost almost nothing about a year ago - not anything to do with my influence, it just arrived... We don't really go anywhere she would wear it, but it's in the wardrobe. Bit of a mystery really...

I seldom buy loose clothing. While women 'of a certain age' prefer comfort over glamour, I've always liked showing off my shape if I had a shape to show off. Mrs Freddy believes, along with many others, drowning a larger shape works. Not in my view. 

Have a quick look at this recent newspaper article >> click here << that suggests I'm not alone in this view.

2E590A6000000578-3313872-image-a-9_14472

 

If you think you can tolerate tight clothing, then I would recommend trying it. I almost never wear jeans or trousers without leggings on underneath, and the more compressive the better. Shaved legs (cycling is a great 'excuse') makes anything on legs quite stimulating. 

 

2 hours ago, Heels said:

Would I be better going for long or regular size leggings. I have a 33 inch inside leg.

The M+S "Long" comes with a 33" inseam, but can be 32-34 inches in length, sometimes. I would recommend the longer length for you if your inside leg measurement is 33 inches. Better too long than too short. B)

I bought some shiny leggings from Forever21 late last year, that barely covered my calves. Mrs Freddy was highly amused .... (As before, 'clothing snob'.) If you are shopping around for some, don't forget to look at ASOS, Boohoo and Missguided. The latter two specialise in 'glamour wear' on a budget for the younger person. Primarni, always worth a look too. I find their products are well made, fit well, and they have easy returns in-store.

Edited by FastFreddy2

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I don't mind my cycling bib tights in the least in terms of snug fit,

Just self conscious about trying on rock-chic style PVC! 

Maybe the M&S ones could be fun to try...hmmmm....

 

 

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Couple of years ago I invited a friend back to my parents place and she was wearing a pair of black leggings on her. Look good on her, but I thought it might be better if she wore a skirt as well.

Last year I bought a wet look skirt from a seller on Ebay. I returned it. There  was nothing to it. Anyway I was having another look on Ebay last night for leggings and  found the same seller again. I couldn't remember what I bought from her before. I thought it was another iterm of clothing, which I've kept.. Sent her a email and she happy to deal with me again.  It just a case now of length. She hasn't got any long leggings listed at the moment but she has them in stock..

Edit

Bought a pair at last.

Edited by Heels
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7 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Just self conscious about trying on rock-chic style PVC! 

 

Not what you told the casting director at the audition.

And I quote;

"I can ride a horse bare-back. I can speak 4 languages. I can dance, tap and jazz. I can sing, AND I look great in PVC!"

 

;) :P :D

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