ISSUE 1566 Wednesday 8 September 1999

Out on a limb

Vogue

Vogue's editor is going for boots this winter, but for those who dare to bare, Hilary Alexander previews the brightest tights HAS television presenter Melanie Sykes got the most perfect legs in Britain? The people at the Derbyshire-based hosiery giant Aristoc seem to think so. The company has chosen the 29-year-old Manchester lass, whose boyfriend is actor Max Beasley, to launch its new autumn/winter collection. Melanie's long, lithe pins - which measure an astonishing 42.5in, and are usually given a further boost by the five-inch Gina spike heels that she loves to wear - will be seen in Aristoc's latest promotional campaign. Shot by music photographer Chris Floyd, who travelled with The Verve, Melanie is portrayed as the ultimate Party Girl. "Melanie is the face of intelligent glamour," says Sue Clague, the commercial director of Aristoc. "She is sexy, but she also has a great personality. We like to think of our tights as being fun, feminine and fashionable - and Mel is all of these things." The new collection, called a.k.a. Aristoc, is inspired by the Millennium and features six new styles for clubbing and partying; in the campaign, Sykes wears each style, together with clothes from Karen Millen and Press & Bastyan. "Back to the Future", for instance, is a clever take on Fifties' retro glam, featuring a nude, soft-sheen leg with a black back seam and built-in garter, that offers the allure of stockings with the comfort and practicality of tights. "Ultra Violet" in black sheer and "Body Glitter" in nude, are tights designed for dancing queens with a magical sparkle that comes alive under disco lights. "Cabaret", more tights-that-look-like-stockings, is in a Lycra and Tactel blend, with a silver Lurex "garter" and waistband. "Nude Not Rude" has a soft sheen finish and a built-in high-line brief, for seriously sexy legs, while "Neon Lights" are strong, 15-denier tights that give the legs a subtle sheen for daytime-into-evening. Four other styles, called simply "Party", and another range of sensuous, lace-top hold-ups, are designed to complement the sparkle-and-shine story that infused every designer catwalk show from Giorgio Armani to Matthew Williamson. Also in the collection is a revolutionary range of body-toning tights, offering three levels of tummy control, from light to firm, and designed in either thong, high-leg or hip-hugger style, which also provides "bottom uplift". All three Bodytoners are in a new 15-denier blend of Lycra and Tactel. The full Aristoc autumn/winter collection is available in major stores from this week, priced £4 to £6.