Back in the 1970s, football great Joe Namath did a television commercial for pantyhose, proving that with enough charisma and swagger, the right guy can sell just about anything. His ad was meant for women -- but a whole new generation of hose and tights are aimed squarely at men.

Dubbed "mantyhose," "brosiery," "guylons" or "beau-hose," the fashion trend is gaining traction with designers like Emilio Cavallini (it's cool, you're not supposed to know who that is), who currently has a line of patterned tights just for guys.

The company's vice president, Francesco Cavallini, explained:

"When we started our online shop we noticed that a lot of tights sized medium-large were being purchased by men.…So I did a search on the Internet and discovered there is a cult following for mantyhose."

While the company thinks its male customers wear them mainly for warmth, they've also seen men pairing them with shorts, leading them to believe some guys are donning them to make a fashion statement. And with mantyhose available in stars, stripes, polka-dots, skull and checkerboard patterns, what a statement they'll make.

Probably something along the lines of, "Hey look! I raided my girlfriend's lingerie drawer this morning. Please don't aim for my face when the beatings begin."

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