Saw It On Social: SheerTex

On Monday, I had never heard of Sheertex nylons. By Friday, I'd seen a half-dozen ads and received a similar number of DMs asking if I'd tried them. Sounds like a recipe for a Saw It On Social.

Sheertex bills itself as the world's first "unbreakable" sheer nylon. Their nylons are allegedly rip and snag resistant, with pairs lasting up to 10x longer than standard nylons. They claim the material resists tears by being "self-healing," reforming itself after its pulled or stretched. They also tout the material's stain, odor, and moisture resistance.

The brand offers several products from classic sheers, to ultra-sheers, to thigh highs. Because I don't wear nylons often, I decided to stick with the $59 classic sheers. I would have reviewed the ultra sheers (given that, when talking about nylons, the thinner, the better), but they ran almost $120 and only came in black, which was a disappointment.

My order arrived quickly, packaged in a brightly decorated, recyclable cardboard tube. The package also contained a "test piece" of nylon so I could try to stretch, snag and tear the material til my heart was content. And because #millenials, the company provided some fun stickers featuring inspirational phrases like "tough cookie" and "#Iamunbreakable."

The fact that the packaging color scheme and sticker inserts were clearly geared toward a younger crowd should have been my first clue that something was wrong. Because if you're making unbreakable nylons, shouldn't women of a certain age with professional jobs, not college girls and twenty-somethings, be your target demo?

Putting on the nylons, I realized instantly that this was not the product for me. The material was thick. Like cheap tights from CVS thick. Looking in the mirror, I can only compare my appearance to a 1990s figure skater. (Perhaps, I could wear them for a Halloween costume?)

The nylons allowed me to bend and move well. But the material felt heavy and thick on my skin, a sensation that did not go away even hours later. And the thicker fabric in the waistband started to pinch by hour four despite the fact that my measurements put me well within the medium size range.

When testing a Saw It On Social product, I often investigate the company's return policy, since difficult returns are a hassle and a scourge upon womankind. But this might be the first time that I've ever purchased a product and felt the need to actually return it. But when I went to their website, I discovered that there was no return policy listed at the bottom of their main page, which is standard practice.

I then Googled "Sheertex FAQ" to discover that their FAQ page was blank. Completely blank. At this point, I decided to e-mail customer service.

Their response came promptly, but was wholly unsatisfying. The agent informed me that they accept returns only for store credit or exchange, and only within 30-days. I guess they either haven't anticipated someone being displeased with their product or simply don't care whether you are satisfied. After all, if the product really lasts 10x longer than regular hose, repeat business may not be a thing.

Bottom Line: The hose are more like flesh-colored tights. To my eye, they looked like something Tara Lipinski would wear atop the Olympic medal podium. And as I was wearing them, I never felt comfortable in my own skin. Frankly, the whole experience transported me back to my elementary school jazz class days. Not a trip down memory lane that I want to recreate when I'm standing in a courtroom or running through the Capitol.

Further, no returns? On a product that runs between $60 and $120? Totally absurd. And the lack of transparency about that return policy on their website doesn't exactly make the customer feel valued. ( Update: The company responded to my email, unprompted, offering a refund about an hour after I shared this post. I appreciate the offer, but you shouldn't have to fight for a refund on a product that didn't meet expectations.)

If you need tights to wear while stumbling out of a bar at 3:00AM, after buying expensive nylons and White Claws on your parents' credit card, this might be the product for you. But if you were hoping for something that looks professional, is comfortable, and won't snag when exiting a taxi while running back to the office for an emergency, these are not the nylons you're looking for.

{featured image from Giga Foto}