Stocking

Not to be confused with Christmas stocking.
This article is about the article of clothing primarily worn by women. For other uses, see Stocking (disambiguation).
Stocking
Material silk or rayon
A pair of dark grey nylon stockings.

Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparency. Today, stockings are primarily worn for fashion and aesthetics, usually in association with mid-length skirts.

By analogy, the term "stocking" is also used to describe a type of horse marking in which the white coloring extends from the horse's hoof to just above the knee.

History

Kronenberg brand stocking from mid 20th century from the permanent collection of the Museo del Objeto del Objeto.
Examining the quality of nylon stockings, Malmö Strumpfabrik 1954.

Historically, even though the word sock is at least as ancient in origin, what men normally wore were often referred to as stockings, probably especially when referring to longer hose.[1][2] The word stock used to refer to the bottom "stump" part of the body, and by analogy the word was used to refer to the one-piece covering of the lower trunk and limbs of the 15th century—essentially tights consisting of the upper-stocks (later to be worn separately as knee breeches) and nether-stocks (later to be worn separately as stockings). (See Hose.)

Before the 1590s, stockings were made of woven cloth. The first knitting machines were for making stockings.[3] The stockings themselves were made of cotton, linen, wool or silk. A polished cotton called lisle was common, as were those made in the town of Balbriggan.

Before the 1920s, stockings, if worn, were worn for warmth. In the 1920s, as hemlines of dresses rose, women began to wear stockings to cover their exposed legs. Those stockings were sheer, first made of silk or rayon (then known as "artificial silk") and after 1940 of nylon.

The introduction of nylon in 1939 by chemical company DuPont 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 entered World 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 a black 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 the nylon riots until DuPont was able to ramp up production.[4]

A precursor of pantyhose 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-dancer Ann Miller[5] and seen in popular films such as Daddy Long Legs. Today, stockings are commonly made using knitted wool, silk, cotton or nylon (see hosiery). 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 (see minidress). In 1970, U.S. sales of pantyhose exceeded stockings for the first time, and has remained this way ever since.[6] 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.

Benefits and drawbacks

Stockings are still sometimes preferred to pantyhose for a number of reasons. These may include the perception that stockings, and the associated use of garters, lace, high fashion, appliqué and the exposure of the thigh, are more aesthetically pleasing, or sexually attractive and alluring than pantyhose. They are also regarded as cleaner and healthier, while pantyhose tends to create a humid and warm environment in the crotch area, increasing perspiration and potentially promoting fungal and bacterial growth. Stockings, on the other hand, provide ventilation in the crotch, resulting in a reduction of fungal and bacterial growth. Both nylon stockings and pantyhose being sheer share the advantage of being quick-drying compared to pants if say caught in a downpour or if you are splashed by a passing car driving through a puddle. As ever spare pairs are also easy to carry if they are ruined. If laddered they can be replaced 'one at a time' which obviously saves money and is an advantage over tights.

However, stockings do have a drawback in colder weather, because more skin is exposed to the cold compared to pantyhose. Also, pantyhose does not require garters and garter belts, and do not need to be adjusted as much, whilst also leaving a smoother line under form-fitting clothing.

Support

A garter belt with guipure lace

Stockings can be held up in one of three ways:

A woman wearing stay-up stockings held up by elastic

Terminology

Fencenet hosiery.

In modern usage, stocking specifically refers to the form of hosiery configured as two pieces, one for each leg (except for American and Australian English, where the term can also be a synonym pantyhose). The term hold-ups and thigh highs refers to stockings that stay up by the use of built-in elastic, while the word stockings is the general term or refers to the kind of stockings that need a suspender belt (garter belt, in American English), and are quite distinct from tights or pantyhose (American English).

Other terms used with stockings include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "History of Socks and Stockings". History Undressed. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  2. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, quotations
  3. ↑ Elizabethan England by Kathy Elgin ISBN 978-0-8160-5946-1
  4. ↑ Handley, Susannah (1999). Nylon: The Story of a Fashion Revolution. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-8018-6325-2.
  5. ↑ Robert Osborne (Host) (1997-08-20). Private Screenings: Ann Miller (Television production). Turner Classic Movies.
  6. ↑ Christensen, C. Roland (1982). Business Policy: Text and Cases. R.D. Irwin. p. 161. ISBN 0-256-02626-2.

Further reading

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