My Visit To Fogal

I visited Fogal on Tuesday. I great euphoric experience. For another review, see what Fantasy Stockings has to say about Fogal's Vancouver store.

1 thing that I loved is the warm welcome that I received, when I walked in the door. I did not expect much attention from them, because I am used to thinking of them as upper class people from Europe. There was nobody else in the store, so she spent time telling me about the interesting things.

Another thing that I loved was store decorations. She told me about how all the decorations came from Italy. There were panels that were covered in leather. They wanted to ensure that we got the full Fogal experience. At first, I felt that that was weird. It seemed to be so much trouble, but it eventually made sense to me.

Another thing that I loved was her telling me about the sale today, which seemed kind of weird, because companies do not always like to give out sale information too early. She said that 2 days early was not a big deal.

Another thing that I loved was her offering a brochure and catalog, which is not a big deal, but I do consider it to be a good gesture, since I am not the type of person who buys a lot. Those things cost a lot of money.

Another thing that I loved was the sample hosiery display. It was such a sight to behold. It is not just pieces of fabric. Each sample is an entire pair of hosiery. The fact that they offered so much hosiery for people to examine closely shows how passionate they are about the hosiery. All the hosiery felt so wonderful to the touch. Another thing so wonderful is the variety of colours that they have.

Another thing that I loved was the attitude of the assistant manager towards me. I kind of expected her to just be polite towards guys, since they are potential customers, but she went so far as to ask me if I wanted to work for them. I was shocked. I assumed that she was not offering a job, and I confirmed it, but it was cool in that we talked about what I could do to apply, and what kinds of things I would need to do as an employee.

Just so that you know, I asked her if she has ever seen a guy wear hosiery and shorts before, but she has not. I was not sure if she even noticed my hosiery clad legs. When I asked her about noticing me, she said that she noticed, but she assumed that I was wearing leggings. I said that I was wearing footless hosiery, and she said, Yes, leggings.. I did not argue the point. I understood where she was coming from. The point, though, is that even though she only saw a guy wearing hosiery for the first time, she accepted me so well, that she happily helped me to apply for work, even though there was not a lot of business. How often are women so accepting of men wearing hosiery? I want to touch on that again, another day.

I think that Wolford employees and executives need to shop at Fogal, so that they can learn from Fogal's strengths and weaknesses. I ended up visiting Wolford, after I left, and I noticed a stark contrast in how the 2 companies treat me. I will write about that, for tomorrow or soon.

In the mean time, I suggest that you go down there and say hello. I really want all new hosiery stores to feel welcome in Greater Vancouver, and Canada. There is a Fogal store in Toronto, that you might like to check out.

Be sure to mention that Hosiery Advocate sent you. Thank you for reading!

Fogal Sale On Thu. June 7, 2012

The beautiful assistant manager has informed me that there will be a sale tomorrow. I never bothered to ask what the sale discounts will be, but maybe that will be incentive for you to visit. :^)

I gave directions to Fogal's Vancouver store on Alberni St.

Thank you for reading!

How To Find Fogal Store On Alberni St In Vancouver

Fogal is on the same block as Wolford, and Wolford is right next to the corner store. Fogal is on Alberni St., and Wolford is on Burrard St.

Pretend that you just came out of Wolford. Go left, then turn left at Alberni St., while staying on the same sidewalk. After you turn, pass the first store on your left, and Fogal should be the next store. The name is in very small lettering; written twice, on the awning and over the door. You might pass the store, if you do not look carefully. There should be hosiery in the window.

Let me know if you cannot find it!

Fogal's web site says that you can buy Fogal at a couple of downtown locations. These 2 locations are different from the Fogal store itself.

Thank you for reading!

Saw Boy Wearing Compression Knee High

I could be wrong, but it appeared to be a compression knee high. At first, when I saw it, I made my assumptions of it being worn for medical reasons and did not think much of it.

After I reflected on it, I realized that it never came across as uncool or gay or effeminate. I think that I came to the conclusion, because of the person and the context.

First of all, the boy was playing street hockey, therefore, any legwear that is not frilly or feminine in colour would come across as sportswear.

Second of all, the colour of the knee high was a pasty opaque skin colour, so you can kind of guess that it was not what gay boys and men typically wear.

Third of all, he only wore hosiery on 1 leg. Many athletes wear some kind of support or knee brace on 1 leg. Gay and effeminate men do not typically wear hosiery on 1 leg to look attractive.

Fourth of all, this kid did not look particularly fashionable. He did not look unfashionable, either. The whole point is that he looked average, which is very untypical of the gay and effeminate stereo type.

I am just amazed that we could learn something from an average looking kid.

Thank you for reading!

Is She Wearing Pantyhose? #62

Gal #62 is truly unique. I find her legs to be so appealing.

I actually find her to be kind of funny. I also find her a bit offensive, because she is giving the body of her old age to her future husband, instead of giving him the body of her youth.

What do you think?

There are more Is She Wearing photos. The link is also in the right column, under Popular Topics. For those of you just joining us, read the explanation of Is She Wearing Pantyhose?.

There are Wikimedia hosiery photos. The link is also in the right column, under Popular Topics. For those of you just joining us, read the explanation of Hosiery In Wikimedia.

Genitalia And Breasts And Hosiery As Pants

I touched on genitalia [no pun intended!!] in the last couple of blog posts. While writing them, I thought about a discussion that I had with a masculism advocate. He basically said that if women could go topless, then men deserved to go bottomless. After all, their breasts stick out, so why could we not walk around with male genitals sticking out? That never sat right with me.

I think that we need to cover that topic to better understand why men are not able to wear hosiery as pants.

The thing is that breasts are not directly related to reproduction. They are not related to orgasms either. All genitals are related to reproduction and orgasms. Also, male and female genitals are used for urinating. There are probably other common functions.

If anything, males would need to hide their genitals. When male ballet dancers perform, and maybe even when they rehearse, they wear a dance belt. Dancers probably wear them more for comfort, but I am confident that modesty is an issue, since I have never seen a the shape of a male dancer's genitals be visible through the fabric.

Our reactions to both kinds of genitals are a sign that we place them in the same major category, while treating them differently: female dancers do not wear dance belts, in general, while male dancers do. In the end, both dancers have a clean curved shape, and both shapes are almost androgynous.

Contrast that with the breasts. Although women typically are required to wear something on top, they are often encouraged to flaunt the shapes of their breasts. The shapes of the breasts are a recognition of femininity, and not necessarily sexuality, whereas genitals are typically a recognition of sexuality. This is even seen the animal world, when a female animal exposes her genitals. In some cases genitals can be a sign of too much information. Camel toe, anybody?

This clearly shows why women can push a little further, by wearing hosiery as pants: they do not need to wear a dance belt, so hosiery as pants for women is not as immodest as it is for men. Men need to hide their genitals, and therefore, have a much longer journey to reach that goal.

That being said, I am not supportive of men doing that. Then again, I used to say that men should only wear hosiery under pants.

What do you think? Should men be able to wear hosiery without pants, kilts, and shorts?

Thank you for reading!

Update Your Desktop Calendar Photos

It is time to update your desktop wallpaper. A while ago, I suggested downloading hosiery-calendar photos and using them for desktop wallpaper. Well, go do it! :^)

Thank you for reading!

Differences Between Women And Men's Fashion

With women pushing the boundaries of clothing, by wearing hosiery as pants, I think that it would be good to explore why they can get away with more easily than men.

Women like exposing skin and showing off their body shapes. I am sure that you can think of a few examples. Short skirts, perhaps? Tight shirts? Even dress shirts can be extremely form fitting. It was clearly understood in many European time periods that having an hour glass figure is a good thing. This has been shown to be true for other cultures too. When women wear athletic clothes, they often wear form fitting clothes, which are considered sexy to some degree, if not completely. The Rockettes are a perfect example of this. Their beauty is all over, but a significant amount is in the legs. The list goes on.

Women wear revealing clothing for various reasons. However, a significant factor is that when they ovulate, they tend to want to reveal more. This makes sense. When women want to attract men, then prefer to show off their bodies. Hosiery really is a celebration or advertisement of femininity and fertility. This is a hard rule that we must accept. All of a sudden, advertising does not seem so bad anymore, right?

What about men? Is there something that women like about guys who bare their flesh? Do women like it when men wear tight clothing? They definitely do. Playgirl magazine is not just for gays. I am confident that women like the pictures. Also, they like looking at guys with broad shoulders, and noticeable big muscles. So, guys wearing tight clothing is okay.

The big difference is that women can expose a lot of skin and wear form fitting clothing out in public as casual wear, whereas the tightest clothing that heterosexual masculine guys can wear casually in public is only a t-shirt, and maybe a pair of ordinary shorts.

Also, it might be helpful to compare ourselves to gay men. When it comes to guys to exposing a lot of skin, there is a difference between a gay guy who dresses like a scantily clad sailor or male dancer in a gay bar, and a guy who wears spandex in a strong man competition.

Ah, you are probably saying, but in Shakespeare's time most men wore tights! So, obviously it is not gay, and women find it attractive. Well, I do not know for sure what women thought in those days. You would need to show me a quote or some research. As for it not being gay, I would have to agree to some extent, but is it truly masculine for men to wear it?

In the 1600s, and the time periods before and after, we can see the flamboyant styles tended to be worn by those who could afford it: rich people. Could you imagine a peasant dressing like that? According to Wikipedia, the lower class wore different clothing [scroll down for info on the lower class] in the years before. Scroll to the bottom of Wikipedia's fashion pages to skim through the ages.

Do not be deceived: just because you can afford to buy shorts and hosiery, it does not mean that you are part of the upper class; just because you live much better than many of the nobles of the past, it does not mean that you are part of the upper class. Chances are that my readers are all middle to lower class. Our fashions and our masculinity is much more determined by functionality than wealth. We are more like the Munsters than the Addams.

In the past and present, men in our class have wanted something that lasts a long time. In other words, we want functional clothing. Hosiery worn as pants is not that. It has many benefits, and we should encourage people to wear it, but wearing it as pants will never be more functional than a comfortable pair of jeans, because denim lasts longer per dollar, it is easy to machine wash, and it has pockets. Even when it is worn and faded, people will understand that you do not need to replace it. Hosiery is often so delicate that it typically needs be replaced if you just look at it too hard. ;^P

So, how do we find a way of wearing hosiery more visibly, without raising suspicions? The secret seems to be in sports. Whether it be weight lifting competitions or triathlons, wearing skin tight clothing in women's events or men's events seems to work. In fact, cyclists wear spandex all the time--and they do not even try to hide it. I still insist that we turn our attention back to sports. It matches with what I have said, also. Skin tight clothing in sports is functional. That is why cycling clothing is probably the best bet that we have right now. It can be worn in the streets, and it can be worn casually, when worn with shorts. If our cycling outfits make us look sporty, then people will accept that. Therefore, men can wear spandex and nylon clothing.

To take it a step further, and wear skin tight clothing as pants, without shorts or a kilt, we would need to look extremely sporty, and actually be in sporty situation. After all, if you show up to every event, wearing only a thin piece of fabric over yourself, then people might not appreciate it. So, let us not get carried away. Let us stick to just wearing hosiery under a pair of shorts in a sporty way.

Then again, I showed you photos of me wearing hosiery in a non-sporty way. Yes, we can do that, and we should. However, I think that our casual outfits should be sporty looking, if we can afford it.

To summarize, hosiery does have some natural limits, which lends itself to feminine wardrobes more easily than masculine wardrobes. We will be more successful in our attempts at mainstreaming the outfit, if we keep the casual outfits sporty. If you are still not convinced that hosiery is a celebration of femininity, then I leave you with the last photo below [I was surprised to discover that I could see her gusset in the original size of the photo].

Thank you for reading!