It curious because I was watching
'The Adventures of Robin Hood' yesterday and this post popped up my head. A lovely classic to watch, eating popcorn:)
Tights/panty hoses and stockings are fashion must-have to most of us, but they have been present for a long time and also, have some dramatic connotations in the history.
Men wearing tights?
If we want to know further information, the breeches of 12th century European men were close fitting and worn much like modern day tights but held up with laces at the waist. In the 15th-16th century,The King Henry VIII of England may be a good example...
In the early 17th century, 'hose' were commonly worn by men as you will often see in the period dramas based on this era. Hose were made from wool, silk or cotton and remained in fashion until the end of the 18th century, when long trousers made an appearance (Thanks God! I don't like men wearing tights :)
Nylon Stockings? Yes, please!
Female ancestors could not show their legs because it was not socially acceptable. By the early 1920's women’s stockings were almost exclusively made from silk. Next picture was taken in summer time where the Flappers used to wear the new age of 'Rolled stockings'.
In the mid 1920's the famous Jantzen bathing suit appeared and women were rolling there stockings just below the knee with their swimwear. But this was a fad, because by the late 1920's disappeared. (If you want further information, check out next
link from Glamoursplash blogspot)
In the 1930s, stockings were something more seen with the invention of nylon because it was more accesible to ladies who could not afford silk version.
Dr. Wallace Carothers from Dupont with his famouse saying 'as strong as steel and as fine as a spider’s web' patented the process of making nylon and women legs changed. It was shocking because nylon was used for other kind of items such as toothbrush bristles.The first nylon pair of stocking hit New York department stores in 1939.
During the war, women donated their used silk stockings for making missiles and the production of nylon went into the war effort for making parachutes, given that firstly parachutes used to make of silk and then they discovered that nylon is tougher than silk.
Nylon stockings were the favorite gift of American soldiers to impress British women. But to maintain a sense of style and sophistication during those tough times, ladies took to painting a seam onto the back of their legs so that it looked like they were wearing nylon stockings.
Seamless stockings arrived in the 1950′s, and during the 1960s textile manufacturing processes improved and nylon became even luxurious with the invention of elastane or Spandex.
To finish, I would like to post the lyrics of a song called 'When the Nylons Bloom Again', written by George Marion Jr and Fats Waller, that captured wistful sentiments of American women during the WWII because they yearned the end of the War and the time when nylon would be commonly available again.
Gone are the days when I’d answer the bell
Find a salesmen with stockings to sell
Gleam in his eye and measuring tape in his hand
I get the urge to go splurging on hose
Nylons a dozen of those
Now poor or rich we’re enduring instead
Woolens which itch
Rayons that spread
I’ll be happy when the nylons bloom again
Cotton is monotonous to men
Only way to keep affection fresh
Get some mesh for your flesh
I’ll be happy when the nylons bloom again
Ain’t no need to blow no sirens then
When the frozen hosen can appear
Man that means all clear
Working women of the USA and Britain
Humble dowager or lowly debutant
We’ll be happy as puppy or a kitten
Stepping back into their nylons of DuPont
Keep on smiling to the nylons bloom again
And the WACS come back to join their men
In a world that Mr. Wallace planned
Strolling hand in hand.
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