HOSIERY STAIN TEST
This sounds like an unusual test, but my figures have been stained by stockings than any other type of clothing. Some hosiery bleeds off dye no matter how many times I rinse it in hot water. Stains from hose aren't just a concern for today's seamless figures; some of my "jointed" figures have been stained from hose as well.
Two vendors have claimed their hose won't stain figures. The first one I tried is Zoe Fashion Studio on Etsy (on eBay their name is goldenstreet 88-8). The other vendor is thedaughterwhosews.
The test model is Cadence (originally CG Blaze) who uses a TBLeague S23B body.
ZOE FASHION STUDIO
This vendor states in their product listings their hosiery won't stain. They include a pair of latex gloves to facilitate dressing and removing the pantyhose. I was very impressed with the fit. Cadence put the pantyhose on directly from the package, skipping the usual rinse process. She's been wearing the item for almost 7 months to the day. At time none of the shoes I have would be an easy fit due to the thickness of the material (we do have shoes that fit now). This is an important detail as I've found stains on figures' feet from hose. As one would expect, shoes squeeze the material against the plastic feet, increasing the risk of stains.
Very well, Cadence, it's time to see the results:
So far so good...
After 7 months this pantyhose didn't stain her body at all! That's a record here at One Sixth Sagas. There is only some very light shading on some areas of her feet that is very hard to see, and will probably wear off:
THE DAUGHTER WHO SEWS
I do need to make a couple clarifications here. One, this vendor hasn't actually claimed their product won't stain in their product listing. In fact, they recommend using their Protective Leg Covers under their stockings. If there is a risk of stains, why aren't these leg covers included? I've read customer reviews on forums that state they don't stain. If these do stain, I can't blame the vendor as they actually imply there's a risk of stains. I actually do have some experience with this vendor's stockings for Fashion Royalty dolls. FRs aren't seamless, but the matte finish on their legs tends to stain (in fact my first stain victim was an FR).
The second clarification is that this is the beginning of this stage of the test. I don't anticipate it will last 7 months! I will update the results in a few weeks.
Okay Cadence, we're in a kind of public area- better get dressed!
Notice these aren't the pantyhose style. What's nice about these is the light elastic at the top (an area I will pay particular attention to during the test) that helps them stay up. I really don't like it when these things sag- few things look worse than saggy stockings. These items also exude quality and pride of craftsmanship. TDWS lists her stockings sized for specific dolls, and these Phicen ones fit very nicely.
One of the challenges for me in fitting these to a seamless body, is the tendency of the skin near the ankles to pull up along with the hose. A little care in this area goes a long way to improving the overall look.
These hose tend to stay in place, even when sitting in a chair that is too low. I also like that even with her knees up in the air like this, the tops of the stockings barely show.
We'll check back later with any changes. To keep things comparable, she won't wear shoes for the test, though i will try to fit some pumps on her.