| Can you imagine a time where women live in a world | | | | the best, the hem line seemed to get hirer and higher. |
| of fashion devoid of stockings, tights, or pantyhose. | | | | This is probably the reason why by 1930's tights were |
| Granted this wasn't always issue, but there was a | | | | become a wardrobe staple for many women. |
| time when the tights and stockings were far from the | | | | The being era of stocking for women marked a time |
| comfortable, form fitting, versatile ones we can go out | | | | when there were more sizes that just the A B C's |
| and buy today. Stockings have endured a long and | | | | that we find in our department stores. Stockings were |
| strange life that began over 400 years ago in Europe. | | | | made from materials that were not as elastic as the |
| Here are some interesting and fun facts about | | | | nylon we have nowadays. This meant that stocking |
| stockings that you may not know. | | | | were often, baggy, didn't fit right, needed to be held up, |
| Men in tights. That's right, it was men who first coveted | | | | and came in a variety of sizes. This is also why there |
| this leg hugging fashion. Somewhere around the mid | | | | are seams down the back of the leg. |
| 1500's stockings were knitted from materials like wool, | | | | Stocking were mainly made from silk or rayon, which is |
| silk, and cotton and were mainly worn by our male | | | | actually artificial silk, this made stockings expensive |
| counterparts while women still were a little out of the | | | | leaving women with only a few pairs. Since they were |
| loop. | | | | not as easily obtained as they are today, many |
| Women did begin to wear panty hose eventually but | | | | women were forced to "darn" or sew their stocking |
| for a long period of time silk tights remained something | | | | when they were damaged or ripped. |
| that only well to do women were able to afford and | | | | During World War II tights were expensive and the |
| wear. | | | | material was rare (many materials used to make tights |
| The major movement in the history of stocking, at | | | | were used for military purposes) Since the hemline |
| least in women's fashion, began as the hem lines of | | | | was around the knee about this time, many women |
| dresses lifted from basically the floor to the ankle. | | | | felt they needed to have panty hose to complete their |
| Once women began to show more skin stocking | | | | outfit. What did they do? Women who couldn't afford |
| began to become more popular. | | | | or find pantyhose would use eye liner to draw a line up |
| Even though women in the early 1900's did wear | | | | the back of their legs that would resemble the seam |
| stockings, it was seldom as a fashion statement. | | | | found on stockings. |
| Instead, women's stockings were worn much like we | | | | Think that the ever increasing popularity of tights with |
| wear bras and panties, that is, they were only worn as | | | | designs and prints on them is something new? Think |
| part of an extensive undergarment set. | | | | again. Women during the 1940's often painted different |
| In the 1930 and 1940's when the political and social | | | | themes and motifs on their tights to personalize them. |
| climate of the world began to change, not always for | | | | |