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Nylon Stockings – an infusion of science and fashion

The first public release of Nylon Stockings was amazing - Never before May 15, 1940 did a consumer item create such nationwide pandemonium. Millions and millions of stockings were sold before all nylon production went to the war effort. The desire for stockings was so strong that a Nylon Black Market was going during the war. In 1945, when the war ended, nylon was once again used to make stockings. The demand for nylon stockings was so great that fights were common at stores selling stockings. These fights became known as Nylon Riots. Nylon stockings were so popular that they became a major part of fashion and took on the name Nylons. A little known fact is woman started routinely shaving their legs because of nylon stockings. Stockings were a normal part of life until the 60s when hem lines went way up. This allowed for pantyhose to take over the market. Stocking production went way down and has never recovered since then.

We are working to keep nylon stockings (nylons) alive and well in our society.

We’re told there is a line between being passionate and being fanatical. We don’t care what they say as long as that line is a seam that is straight.

Nylon Stockings in Society 
Original nylon stockings had seams. At first, the manufacturing process of nylon stockings needed much manual labor including sewing the material together which created a seam. When the circular knitting machines for nylon stockings came on the market, stockings were made faster, with less waste and labor. The biggest advantage to the market was not lower cost but no seams in the stockings. But it took several years for seamless stockings to become acceptable. Then seamless stockings became so common that movies made during the late 50s would alert the viewer of a woman’s character status by showing the stockings she was wearing. When you saw a woman in a movie wearing seamed stockings, she was often part of the seamy side of life.

Did the Stiletto heel keep seamed stockings in fashion during the 50s? Straight stocking seams were a fashion must but there was always that extra effort needed to keep them straight. A seam on your leg was also an instant acknowledgment that a woman was properly dressed. But why did it take so long for seamless stockings to become fashion acceptable? Seamless stockings were first introduced in 1952; the year after the Stiletto heel was invented. Now talking about bringing attention to the leg, that new thin high heel made the old thick wide heel look terrible. The Stiletto brought the fashion focus back to the leg. Before the Stiletto heel, the stocking seam line just sort of stopped at the shoe. But that new thin heel makes the seam line appear to go down farther and that would make a woman’s leg look longer.

Question:
Any thoughts on how to stay warm while wearing stockings in cold weather? ANNE

70 denier is the way to go. Sometimes referred as Service Weight, 60 and 70 deniers are a non-sheer stocking. Anne lives and works in New York city so we sent her a pair of 70 denier stockings to try them out. She was amazed not only how her legs stayed warm but the stockings didn’t wear out.
Another thought is some women will wear stockings under their pants when it is cold out.

Question:
I just saw a production of the opera “L’elisir d’Amore” tonight, updated from early 1800s to 1957 Texas. Anyway, some of the women wore seamless stockings, but two wore seamed ones. However, the seamed stockings had no “heels.” Do you know when the nude heel style was invented for seamed stockings? ROB

The seamed stockings with no heel probably happened in the early 50s or at least it was possible to make them. The circular knitting machine for stockings hit the market in 1952 and they created a seamless stocking. The problem was that fashion and society were so set on seams that it wasn’t until the late 50s that seamless stockings took hold. To make “seamed” stockings on a circular knitting machine, a false seam had to be sewn in.