National Nylon Stocking Day
Wear your stockings on #NationalNylonStockingDay
15 May is National Nylon Stocking Day, which is observed annually.
Many people may not even remember ever hearing the term ‘nylon stockings’. The stockings varied in colour, design and transparency and were also known as ‘hose’, which is a close fitting and variously elasticated garment worn the same way as socks or tights.
Stockings that were worn before the 1890s were made of woven cloth, such as cotton, linen, wool or silk. Before the 1920s, women’s stockings were worn for warmth, but, as hemlines of women’s dresses rose, women started wearing stockings to cover their exposed legs. These 1920s stockings were sheer, initially made of silk or rayon, and then followed by nylon (after 1940).
The introduction of nylon in 1939 by the chemical company, DuPont’s, sparked a high demand for stockings in the United States. Because nylon stockings were inexpensive, durable and sheer, up to four million pairs were purchased every day.
DuPont ceased production of nylon stockings in 1942, during World War II, to focus on the manufacturing of parachutes, airplane cords and rope. This resulted in a massive shortage of stockings which gave rise to a black market for stockings. At the end of the war, DuPont resumed the production of stockings, but he could not meet the demand. This lead to riots in stores, but, in time, he was able to increase his output.
Initially, stockings had seams that ran up the back of the leg, because machinery to produce tubular fabric had not yet been invented. Many women struggled endlessly to get those seams straight when they wore stockings, and were endlessly grateful when seamless stockings, and ultimately pantyhose, became the norm. Nowadays, stockings with seams are a rarity.
Pantyhose were invented in 1959 and provided a convenient alternative to stockings, which led to a decline in their sales. During 1970, the sales of pantyhose exceeded stocking sales for the first time – and it hasn’t changed since. Although there was a slight decline in pantyhose sales in 1987, when holdups were introduced, pantyhose remain the most purchased kind of hosiery.
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