Killer Legs By Nylon
By Jade Miller
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
By Virginia Nickerson
The best thing about being a fashionable Quail Bell(e) is discovering those perfect pieces or creative ways to combine old pieces in that wardrobe into an amazing new take on an outfit. Yet, in the world of fashion, what might seem original and innovative to us has actually been around for ages.
References to hosiery go all the way back to the Egyptians, who wore the first socks, and the Ancient Greeks, where workmen and slaves wore hose and Roman women wore short socks in their homes. These socks transitioned into stockings in the Middle Ages in Europe, where men wore breeches and women wore stockings with garters. This was also when silk stockings were all the rage, with heavier linen socks covering the delicate fabric when worn with boots.
Though stockings were originally created without fashion in mind, it didn’t take long for them to become an expression of self. The Dandies, in the sixteenth century, layered different colors and patterns and heights of stockings and socks in order to create their personal looks.
References to hosiery go all the way back to the Egyptians, who wore the first socks, and the Ancient Greeks, where workmen and slaves wore hose and Roman women wore short socks in their homes. These socks transitioned into stockings in the Middle Ages in Europe, where men wore breeches and women wore stockings with garters. This was also when silk stockings were all the rage, with heavier linen socks covering the delicate fabric when worn with boots.
Though stockings were originally created without fashion in mind, it didn’t take long for them to become an expression of self. The Dandies, in the sixteenth century, layered different colors and patterns and heights of stockings and socks in order to create their personal looks.
Fast-forward to 1940 when the first nylons went on sale…all four millions pairs sold out in four days. Women don’t like to mess around with naked legs, and sheer nylon stockings with the seam up the back were the epitome of sexy. All these ladies had to give up their stockings during World War II, and women used makeup on their legs, using eyebrow pencils to get the look of a seam.
The next development in hosiery was in 1959 with the introduction of spandex, and from then until now, not much has changed. When looking for a pair of stockings for your very own, keep a few things in mind. The denier is the measurement for knitting which determines how sheer the stocking is that you buy. The lighter the thread, the more fine the weave is, so 15d is more sheer than a 30d stocking. There’s also opaque stockings, very popular today, if you want some something more sheer. You also need to consider if you want tights, which go up around the waist, or actual stockings, held by garter belts or by elastic at the top, like thigh highs.
To further peak your interest in stockings, wrap your mind around these fascinating hosiery facts. NBA players, including Kobe Bryant, used to wear tights under their shorts for more support until tights got banned in 2006. Nylon got its name from when it was shown at the World Fair in New York in 1939. Last but not least, Joe Namath is more famous for starring in a pantyhose commercial than he is for winning the Super Bowl! How’s that for fashion forward?
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