 A pair of nylon stockings | |
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Stockings (also known ashose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elasticgarments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of thethigh. Stockings vary in color, design, andtransparency. Today, stockings are primarily worn for fashion andaesthetics, usually in association with mid-length or shortskirts.
Historically, even though the wordsock is at least as ancient in origin, what men normally wore in the medieval period were referred to as hose.[1][2][verification needed]
The wordstock used to refer to the bottom "stump" part of the body, and byanalogy the word was used to refer to the one-piece covering of the lower trunk and limbs of the 15th century—essentiallytights consisting of theupper-stocks (later to be worn separately as knee breeches) andnether-stocks (later to be worn separately asstockings). (SeeHose.)
In 1560, the merchantThomas Gresham tried to buy silk hose ("sylke howsse") forElizabeth I in Antwerp, but not finding any, instead sent her measurements to Spain for 20 pairs to be made.[3]
Before the 1590s, stockings were knitted by hand or constructed from woven cloth. Knitted stockings were preferred because of their flexibility.[4] The firstknitting machines were for making stockings.[5] The stockings themselves were made of cotton,linen,wool orsilk. A polished cotton calledlisle was common, as were those made in the town ofBalbriggan.
Before the 1920s, stockings, if worn, were worn for warmth. In the 1920s, ashemlines of dresses rose and central heating was not widespread, women began to wear flesh-colored stockings to cover their exposed legs. Those stockings were sheer, first made of silk orrayon (then known as "artificial silk") and after 1940 ofnylon.
The introduction of nylon in 1939 by chemical companyDuPont began a high demand for stockings in the United States with up to 4 million pairs being purchased in one day.Nylon stockings were cheap, durable, and sheer compared to their cotton and silk counterparts. When America enteredWorld War II, DuPont ceased production of nylon stockings and retooled their factories to produce parachutes, airplane cords, and rope. This led to a shortage and the creation of ablack market for stockings. At the end of the war DuPont announced that the company would return to producing stockings, but could not meet demand. This led to a series of disturbances in American stores known as thenylon riots until DuPont was able to increase production.[6]
A precursor ofpantyhose made an appearance in the 1940s and 1950s, when film and theater productions had stockings sewn to the briefs of actresses and dancers, according to actress-singer-dancerAnn Miller[7] and seen in popular films such asDaddy Long Legs. Today, stockings are commonly made usingknitted wool, silk, cotton or nylon (seehosiery). The introduction of commercial pantyhose in 1959 gave an alternative to stockings, and the use of stockings declined dramatically. A main reason for this was the trend towards higher hemlines on dresses (seeminidress). In 1970, U.S. sales of pantyhose exceeded stockings for the first time, and has remained this way ever since.[8] Beginning in 1987, sales of pantyhose started a slight decline due to the newly invented hold-ups, but still remain the most sold kind of hosiery.
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Stockings are still sometimes preferred topantyhose in North American English, for a number of reasons. These may include the perception that stockings, and the associated use ofgarters,lace, high fashion,appliqué and the exposure of the thigh, are more aesthetically pleasing, or sexually attractive and alluring than pantyhose.
Both nylon stockings and pantyhose in being sheer share the advantage of being quick-drying compared to trousers. Spare pairs are also easy to carry if they are ruined. If laddered they can be replaced 'one at a time' which provides a cost advantage over tights.
However, stockings have a drawback in colder weather, because more skin is exposed to the cold compared to pantyhose. Also, pantyhose do not require garters or garter belts.[9]
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Stockings can be held up in one of three ways:
In modern usage,stocking specifically refers to the form of hosiery configured as two pieces, one for each leg (except for American andAustralian English, where the term can also be a synonym forpantyhose). The termshold-ups andthigh highs refer to stockings that stay up through the use of built-in elastic, while the wordstockings is the general term or refers to the kind of stockings that need a suspender belt (garter belt, inAmerican English), and are quite distinct fromtights or pantyhose (American English).
Other terms used with stockings include:
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