Now tights are cool as M&S launches high-tech, air-conditioned pantyhose



It is one of the great dilemmas of summer.



Should one wear tights and overheat, or go bare-legged and risk blinding the world with a pair of shimmering white shins?



Now textile experts say they have come up the perfect solution - pantyhose with an inbuilt cooling system.

The tights are particularly sheer, which adds flattering colour to the legs while keeping a bare look. And they have no seams on the toe so that they can be worn with sandals.







Air conditioned: Marks&Spencer ' bare' tights with new cooling finish

But their secret weapon is a revolutionary Japanese yarn which contains millions of tiny bubbles full of cooling ingredients.



Throughout the day these capsules are broken down through friction and their contents are released on to the skin.



The active ingredients are camomile, aloe vera and marine alga. Camomile is often used for its soothing properties while aloe vera and marine algae are commonly used to cool irritated and sunburnt skin.



The effect of the Bare Cooling tights lasts for up to ten washes although the first three wears are considered the most effective, according to Marks & Spencer, which is selling the product.



The store would not reveal exactly how the bubbles are added, but said they are put in as part of the dyeing process.



It added that the stockings are stronger than they look. Despite having a sheer seven-denier appearance, the yarn used is actually 15 denier.



The Bare Cooling tights, which cost £4, were introduced in April 2007 and are one of the store's best-selling items.

They work on the same principle as the M&S Spa Legcare range, which launched last summer. Spa Legcare tights are claimed to tone a woman's thighs, shrinking the circumference within five days.

The microbubbles in those stockings contain aloe vera to smooth skin as well as marine plant extracts and ginkgo biloba which 'slim and tone the skin, proven to help stimulate microcirculation, increase blood flow and aid detoxification'.

Soozie Jenkinson, head of lingerie design said: 'At M&S we constantly look to bring new and exciting developments to the hosiery market and our Bare Cooling range is the perfect summer dressing solution.



'Giving a bare leg look whilst keeping the wearer cool and comfortable, the range is proving extremely popular with our customers and is one of our current best sellers.'



Overall, the high street retailer sells more than 27million tights per year.

