On style, she rules

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Published: 12:00am, 18 Jun 2006

I've been searching for sheer nylon stockings (not the awful rough stretchy things that can be found everywhere). Great legs deserve the best, don't you think? Any ideas?

Sheer Delight, Aberdeen

The Dictator rules: Reading your question has given me lots of ideas, most of which are not fit to print. If you do have great legs, you really shouldn't boast. If you don't, stockings might help marginally or they could exacerbate the problem, especially if you opt for the shiny, patterned or brightly coloured kind. You have been warned. Now, we think there are some wonderful, low-priced options out there, mostly from Japan, but we know you won't be convinced until you've paid an arm and a leg. In that case, it's best to try Swiss brand Fogal (shop 208, 2/F, The Landmark, Central, tel: 2526 1751). You could pay anywhere between $200 and $550 for a pair of stockings. Materials vary from nylon and Lycra to silk. Another high-quality brand to slip on is Wolford (shop M29, M/F, Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2525 4122). Again, they have a full range of sheer, opaque and other styles of hosiery (about $120 to $300 each). Oh, and one more thing - if your skin is not orangey brown, don't ever wear tights in that colour!

I have been looking for sunscreen with the ingredient Parsol (or Parson), which has UVA and UVB protection, but have been unable to find it. Could you please help?

Sundowner, Sai Wan Ho

The Dictator: That's like asking where to find air with oxygen - well, almost. Many sunblocks use Parsol these days. Parsol 1789 is Givaudan-Roure's trademark name for Avobenzone, a chemical filter that offers protection against particularly harmful long-wavelength UVA rays. Previously, sunscreens protected mostly against UVB and short-wavelength UVA rays. Happily, Parsol is used in both cheap and chichi products so you don't have to be rich to be protected. A quick look in SaSa (see www.sasa.com for store locations), for example, revealed Parsol in Hawaiian Tropic's Baby Faces SPF50 ($98), Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF30 ($79.90) and Elizabeth Arden's Perfect Moisture Cream SPF30 ($432). The charming apothecary-style Kiehl's (G/F, 28 Russell Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2591 0117) uses Parsol in many of its Vital Sun Protection products ($150 to $240), as well as in its Ultra Moisturising Eye Stick SPF30 ($195). Other brands to look for are Peter Thomas Roth, Murad and KINeSYS.