Spotlight Magazines Spotlight Magazine Mansfield South November 2015 | Seite 10

Spotlight Magazine

Hosiery

In the UK the term hosiery commonly includes
tights, stockings, knees highs and hold ups. A
wide variety of colours and designs are available.
The thickness of such items is usually referred
to by denier which is the form of measurement
used to describe the mass density of the fibre.
Materials used include nylon, lace, silk and
various forms of yarn.
Generally the lower the denier the sheerer the
material and therefore the more fragile the
product is, however some now have added
properties such as ladder resist to reduce
the risk of damage. Other additions to bring
benefits include Control Top, other elements of
Shapewear, gloss finishes and added support.
There are also special versions as part of
maternity wear, designs especially for weddings,
flight socks and products which aim to combine
the best of stockings and tights such as
suspender tights.

Nylon tights weren’t invented until the twentieth
century, but Ancient Greek slaves and the
Romans wore forms of hosiery as did the
Chinese and Japanese hundreds of years ago.
In the UK, forms of stockings were worn by men

in Henry VIII s and Elizabeth I ’s reign and right
through until the end of the eighteenth century
when long trousers with socks became the
norm.
It took until Victorian times and a relaxation of
morals before fashionable hosiery for women
began to be seen. Until then it had been
considered uncouth for women’s legs to be on
display. The invention of nylon by Du Pont in
the 1930’s made stockings more affordable and
therefore more accessible.
Supplies became scarce during World War II as
nylon and silk were requisitioned for the war
effort. A black market developed and American
GI’s who had what were referred to as ‘nylons’,
found themselves popular with British Ladies.
Some women took to staining their legs with
gravy browning and drawing seams up the back.
Demand for stockings soared again after the war.
The next major development was the discovery
of Lycra in 1959 which led to stretchiness
becoming a feature of hosiery. It was in the
1960’s that the popularity of stockings waned
and sales of tights or pantyhose as they were
known then rose dramatically.
This was due to the fashion
for mini skirts. If stockings
were worn with these skirts,
inevitably the tops were visible
and thus tights were deemed
more practical.
Today for many, hosiery is no
longer just an accessory or
practical undergarment; it’s a
fashion or a mood statement!
So why not buy some of the
ever-sexy fishnets or seamed
stockings, or tights in jewelled
colours or with cool prints to
give your wardrobe an instant
autumn makeover.
By Susan Brookes-Morris

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