Just as culture and popular fashion have evolved over the decades, so too has hosiery. Hosiery's first origins can be found in its name, a term deriving from the Anglo-Saxon Old English word "hosen" which means covering.
Believe it or not, "hose" or "hosiery" were worn as early as the 15th and 16th centuries. At first, hose was worn almost exclusively by European noble men. This was for practical reasons of the era such as better mobility while riding horseback.
Queen Elizabeth I was the first well known woman to have worn stockings and have it recorded. She received her first pair of knit silk stockings in The queen adored the softness and comfort of the luxury accessory and decided to wear silk stockings for the rest of her life. Since stockings of this time were made of materials such as silk and wool, they were not elastic or supportive and had to be kept up by garters or made fully-fashioned, meaning custom made.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, while hosiery or legwear in some form was worn by women for modesty, warmth, and protection, dresses were kept long and stockings kept short. While there were some playful patterns in hosiery, the fashion of this time was still modest, and stockings were typically hidden under clothing.
By the 's, hemlines were on the rise, and so too was the popularity of hosiery to cover exposed legs. The typical stocking of the roaring twenties would come up to just above the knee and be secured by a garter. Suspension belts, which had been invented in , were an additional way to hold up stockings.
While hosiery previously was meant to be hidden under dresses and skirts, flappers and women of the decade now flaunted their fishnet and embellished stockings. Hosiery was embraced as a statement of style and freedom. In , DuPont, a company that uses science and engineering to solve pressing problems, invented nylon, revolutionizing the world of fashion and hosiery. Not only was nylon a cheaper material, its elasticity also made for a better fit for women of all shapes and sizes. Nylon stockings were all the craze and became an essential for every woman's wardrobe.
By the late 's, political tensions between America and Japan were on the rise. American women were now forced to turn away from silk hosiery and wear nylon instead.
World War II increased demand for nylon. Women were asked to ration and donate their hosiery for the war effort, as the material was used to create tools such as parachutes, airplane chords, and tents.
The product was taken off the market completely and desperate women all over sought out creative alternatives. Women began to paint seams on the back of their legs or use self-tanners and "liquid stockings" to create the illusion that they were wearing hosiery.
After the war, nylon stockings made their return and DuPont struggled to meet the product's demand. In , the end of the war, Macy's sold out of their entire stock of 50, pairs of nylons in just 6 hours! It's no secret that stockings were all the craze in the 's, but there was still one issue; they weren't self-supporting.
Women continued to use garters and suspension belts to keep their hosiery in place. Yet with more revealing skirts and costumes appearing in pop culture, alternatives began popping up. Formal dress dictated that females wear such intimate, and often uncomfortable, articles of clothing.
How else could you hold up your nylons? Allen Gant Sr. She stitched some crude garments together, tried them on, and handed the products to her husband. Though the convenience of not having to wear a girdle or garter belt was a plus, what helped pantyhose take hold was the rise of the miniskirt in the mids.
For the fashion-conscious woman looking to wear a skirt shorter than stockings are long, pantyhose were the perfect fit. When iconic models such as Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy donned their mini skirts, demand for pantyhose exploded and women flocked to the stores for pairs of their own.
Simultaneously, new kinds of sewing techniques and fabrics—like spandex—brought the cost of the pantyhose down while increasing the range of sizes that could be offered. As more women headed into the workplace, sales of pantyhose only grew. Tights really came into their own in the Sixties, worn under mini-skirts created by designers such as Mary Quant. In Pretty Polly developed one-piece tights and they became more of a fashion item than ever before.
In the early Eighties, patterned tights appeared on the market and Lycra started being incorporated into hosiery in The new Lycra 3D process, where Lycra is knitted into every stitch, not just every third, was introduced in and now makes hosiery super smooth with a perfect fit.
The future of tights is looking back to the past, with the launch of Wolford's first range of tights designed for men. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?
Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
0コメント