Pretty Polly

Pretty Polly built its name as one of Britain's best-known hosiery brands, and shoppers tend to value it for comfortable, fashion-led tights at a mid-range price. Reviews on durability are mixed, so the answer depends on how hard you wear them. Note that the company entered liquidation in 2026, so availability now runs through remaining and resale stock.

Historically, yes. Founded in 1919, the company was a genuine innovator, introducing the first non-run seam-free stockings in 1959 and adding lycra in 1982. At its peak in the late 1960s it was the best-selling hosiery range in the UK, holding around a 20% market share, which speaks to how trusted the brand once was.

They sit at different ends of the market. Wolford is positioned as a premium, designer-priced hosiery house, while Pretty Polly was the more accessible British high-street name, known for a wide spread of styles. If you want luxury price and finish, that points to Wolford; if you want recognizable British hosiery at a friendlier price, that was Pretty Polly's territory.

It is a charming bit of trivia. In 1926 the founders took over a hosiery wholesaling company previously owned by the daughter of a bookmaker who had gained financially from the racehorse Pretty Polly. The trademark even used a parrot as its logo, drawing on another sense of the word 'polly'.

Pretty Polly is a British hosiery brand based in Nottingham, England. The company began in 1919 when Harry Hibbert and Oswald Buckland built a factory in Sutton-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

Several firsts shaped the brand. In 1959 it introduced the first non-run seam-free stockings; in 1967 it launched hold-ups, which removed the need for suspender belts and were even featured on Tomorrow's World; and in 1982 it introduced lycra. These steps helped make it the best-selling UK hosiery range of the late 1960s.

Hold-ups are stockings that stay up on their own without a suspender belt. Pretty Polly introduced them in 1967, a genuine convenience milestone that was notable enough to appear on the BBC's Tomorrow's World. They remain one of the brand's signature contributions to hosiery.

The brand leaned on well-known faces over the years. Laura Bailey modelled for the company in 1994, Eva Herzigová became the face and legs of its advertising in 1998, and later campaigns featured Rachel Stevens and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Pretty Polly was also the first hosiery company to advertise on TV, back in 1980.

Yes. Pretty Polly officially ceased trading and entered liquidation effective 14 May 2026. That means the brand is no longer in active production, so any pieces you find will come from remaining retail or resale stock rather than new collections.

Fine hosiery is delicate by nature, so the usual care extends its life: handle with care to avoid snags from rings or rough nails, wash gently and let pieces air dry rather than tumble drying. Keeping a spare pair on hand is wise, since even good tights can ladder unexpectedly.