History of Hosiery

On May 15, 1940, when the first nylons went on sale at stores throughout the country, four million pairs sold out in four days. Women everywhere were wildly enthusiastic about the new miracle fiber. But everything came to an unfortunate halt with the outbreak of World War 11, when nylon production was commandeered for the war effort. Women resorted to using makeup to decorate their legs, like drawing faux seams up the back of their legs with an eyebrow pencil.

World War 11 ended in 1945, but the nylon wars were just beginning! Peace slowly brought nylons back into stores, but not fast enough. In New York, Macy’s sold out of it’s entire stock of 50,000 pairs of nylons in six hours, leaving a long line of unhappy, bare-legged women. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh a mob of 40,000 women stood all night in a torrential rain storm to buy nylons from a tiny hosiery shop. By 1948, production of nylon stockings returned to normal.

Hosiery is manufactured in a wide range of fabric weights, knits and colors. In general, heavier weight fabrics are stronger and more durable, but are thicker and show less of the natural skin tone. Lighter, sheerer garments look and feel more luxurious but are not as strong as their heavier cousins. Reinforced toes and heels will add to the life of your hosiery, but it’s a fact that the lighter and sheerer the hosiery is, the more delicate it is and the more care it requires. All in all, customers will find that price is not an indicator of durability.

Women’s hosiery falls into the following categories:

Sheers are made with lightweight fabric composed of very fine yarn, usually nylon. Sheers are very flattering to the leg but more delicate than hosiery made with heavier fibers. Ultra sheers are the most fragile and allow the most natural skin tone to show through.

Opaques are heavier than sheers, more durable and have recently gained tremendous popularity as a fashion accessory.

Tights are even heavier than opaques, more durable and are worn for dance, exercise or as a ready-to-wear accessory, and provide added warmth during cold weather. Both opaques and tights offer color coverage of the leg.

The above information was adapted from The Sheer Facts about Hosiery, developed by the National Association of Hosiery Manufacturers (NAHM), a voluntary organization of approximately 450 hosiery manufacturers and suppliers.