Did you know that stockings have been around for over eight hundred years? Hand-knitted 12th century stockings are displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1589 Reverend William Lee from Nottingham, totally self-taught with no mechanical knowledge or expertise, invented the framework knitting machine, changing the face of fashion, and the legs of women, forever!
The story goes that Reverend Lee fell in love with a young lady in his local village. Every time he visited her, his passion was crushed as all she did was to concentrate on her stocking knitting! Spurned the curate is said to have determined to design an automated knitting process so that hand knitting would become obsolete! It took him three years to work at this idea, giving up his curate's position to devote himself wholeheartedly to the task.
After three years the stocking-weaving machine, made almost entirely of wood, was operational. It was a remarkable endeavour indeed as he was a curate with no formal mechanical training, and his tools were primitive. He had to overcome amazing technical challenges - for example the initial version of the machine had the needles stuck into a chunk of wood! Once his initial machine, said to be a 12 gauge and using wool, was working he trained his brother James and other relatives on the use of the loom.
Queen Elizabeth was known to love silk stockings so he travelled to London to ask for the patronage of the queen. His perseverance paid off and he was eventually granted an audience with the queen but when he demonstrated the machine to her, he was shocked as she did not offer the expected sponsorship. She was reputedly concerned that such mechanization of stocking manufacture in this way would put a large number of hand knitters of stockings out of work.
Feeling rejected, and at the suggestion of one Sully, a minister of Henry IV's court, he travelled to Rouen in France in 1605. At this time Rouen was one of the most important centres of manufacture in France. All was working well - he had taken his brother and seven workmen, and with Henry IV's patronage was mass manufacturing stockings for the first time, simultaneously using no less than nine looms. Then tragedy struck - Henry IV was murdered and with that went Lee's protection. His privileges were withdrawn. Devastated he attempted to fight a case in the Paris courts but he failed. He died in Paris, broken-hearted and impoverished not long after.
However his brother along with seven workmen managed to escape France, bringing seven looms with them back to Thoroton in Nottinghamshire. There he set up a mill where Ashton, a workman who had formerly been trained by William Lee before his ill-fated departure, joined him. This area of Nottingham was ideal location for woollen stocking manufacture as the quality of the wool was better - the staple or cross-linking of the fibres made for a stronger yarn well suited to weaving.
Nottingham area became the hub for stocking production and from this point on stocking weaving became an important industry for England. Just as computer knowhow is guarded today, so was this state-of-the-art knowhow guarded back then - exporting a stocking loom was actually illegal. Anyone caught had their equipment confiscated and were fine the huge (back then) sum of forty pounds.
By the 18th Century frame-work knitting of stockings had come to America in a swathe from New England to Pennsylvania. From here on mechanization gathered pace - Patents were granted in England for the first circular knitting machine in 1816 and a machine for manufacture of full-fashioned stockings in 1857.
Stocking materials - the sexy nylon stocking is born
Gradually by the late 1800's the use of wool gave way to cotton, and by 1929 the vast majority of stocking production was in silk. Then at Du Pont laboratories came Dr Wallace Carrothers momentous discovery - nylon! Carrothers was a brilliant polymer chemist with a rather turbulent private life that led to fits of depression. Nevertheless his development of what was initially known as polyamide 6-6 with its extremely high melting point revolutionized women's lives!
At the end of the Second World War nylon manufacture was geared back to the mass production of nylons. The demand was enormous - in 1945 Macy's sold out of its entire stock of 50,000 pairs of nylon stockings in six hours!
Stocking designs
The nylon seamed stockings were generally of the fully fashioned variety - that is the machine used to make then was designed to drop stitches where needed so that the leg was not simply a tube but was narrowed at the ankle and widened at the thigh. The flat material was therefore designed to fit the leg snugly, when wrapped and stitched down the back to produce the seam. As you may be aware, nylon has no natural stretch so it became necessary to manufacture stockings in a variety of foot length and leg lengths.
Until the end of the Second World War stockings were in short supply. Because the tell-tale sign of a fully fashioned stocking is the back seam, so it was common for ladies to use an eyebrow pencil to create an artificial seam up the back of their leg to simulate a genuine stocking!
Seamless stockings
The invention of the circular stitching machine enabled the advent of seamless stockings which by 1950 had surpassed the seamed stocking in popularity. However sizing was still problematical &, because they have no stretch, the stockings tend to bag behind the knees and at the ankles with both the original seamed and newer seamless stockings from this time. This was all to change in 1959 when lycra, also known as spandex arrived. For the first time one size could fit a variety of legs, snugly and without bagging.
Tights or stockings?
The swinging sixties gave stocking makers a bit of a problem - suddenly the welt of the stocking and often some thigh was on show too. There was a brief time when stocking tops were frequently on show before pantyhose or tights took the hosiery world by storm. However it is the sensual nylon stocking that still holds the affection of most men - and an admittedly lesser percentage of women. The first time you have the opportunity to draw a fifties full-fashioned stocking up your leg I guarantee you will fall in love with these gorgeous nylons.
Article by Debbie Mendoza - Originally published on Articlebase
Rules for stockings are the same as Debbie Mendoza/tights: no jagged finger nails and toe nails; remove rings if they are not smooth; hands should be smooth or wear hosiery gloves. Roll the stocking down into an O-shape, place thumbs inside then start unrolling over the foot and up the leg (pointing toes, foot forward helps). Hand wash by gently swishing and squeezing the stockings (don’t rub or twist) in lukewarm water – rinse in clean water, gently squeezing and then lay out flat on a towel to dry (room temperature away from direct heat). You can also use a drying tree.
The most important rule is put underwear (Knickers etc) on LAST. Think going to the toilet - if you have your stockings and suspender belt over your knickers then you have to remove everything to go to the loo!
The first few times you wear stockings, wear them around the house for a while before you leave to be sure you have everything adjusted properly. If you are wearing a short skirt, be sure to sit down and see if the stockings are long enough.
To wear normal stockings, you will need a suspender belt . Good suspender belts are comfortable and don't cost much more than the little lacy ones that are not that practical. Worn on top of the hip, suspender belts are usually 3 to 8 inches in length, measured from top to bottom not including the straps. Wider suspender belts, called full or girdlette (10 to 12 inches), can offer support for the waistline if desired.
Waspies, Girdles, Corsets and Waist cinchers are other articles of lingerie that can have straps for stockings. So you can easily incorporate stockings with different lingerie.
The straps from the suspender belt attach to the stocking by clasps and the more straps, the better. The more straps used, the smoother the stocking will look and if a clasp breaks, there would be no sag in the stocking. Metal clasps are better than plastic ones and get adjustable straps so you can adjust the amount of tension on the stocking.
Most stockings have a top area that is thicker than the stocking itself, this is called the Welt and the clasps are attached to the welt. Don’t substitute thigh high Hold Up's for Stockings because the thick rubber can bend the clasps. Normal stretch stocking wearers can use a four-strap suspender belt but non-stretch stockings work better with at least six straps.
A good starting point for strap adjustment is to make the back straps 2 inches longer than the front straps and 1 inch longer than the side straps. Some suspender belts are cut / shaped longer in the back than in the front to help in this area because when you sit down there is a farther distance to go on your back side to reach the stocking.
When standing, there should be a slight pull on the stockings but the word here is slight - over pull will either damage the stocking or cause the suspender belt to slide down. If you are wearing normal stretch stockings, you can keep the straps tighter, letting the stocking do some of the give.
There are different types of stockings. Most stockings are made from nylon and some stretch while others do not. Non-stretch stockings are knitted and boarded to fit (heated on a board) - they look like your leg, not a ball of material.
Denier is the thickness of the nylon yarn - the lower the number, the sheerer the stocking.
Full Fashion is a stocking that starts as a flat piece of non-stretch nylon material and then the sides are sewn together to create the stocking and the process creates a seam. If you remove the seam stitching on a Full Fashion stocking, you will end up with a flat piece of material. The finishing hole (looks like a defect in the welt) is made during the stitching process of Full Fashioned stockings as the seamstress finishes the stitch. Stockings made on a circular knitting machine can still have a seam but it is just for looks.
Two pairs of stockings will last three pairs of tights since you toss out pantyhose tights when you get a runner in one leg but with stockings, you just toss out the one with the runner and still use the other.
You may have to try different brands / styles to get the perfect fit - so don’t buy six pairs because you get a cheap price until you know they fit properly. Finally - Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you buy. I always check out exactly what I am buying beforehand. You don't want to disappoint!
Jonathan Aston Fishnet Back Seam Hold Ups
Looking for an ultra sexy hold up? These back seamed fishnets add a splash of sex appeal to any outfit. The thick lacy top band is comfortable and gives a very feminie feel. For added fun try out the hold ups with sublte gold, silver and red thread entwined around the back seam. You are sure to shine in these hold ups.
Key Points
* Fishnet
* Matte
* Sheer Toe
* 7cm/2.75" Top band
Size Chart
Colours Available
Black/Black
Black/Gold
Black/Red
Black/Silver
Naturel/Naturel
Click here to see the colour chart
100% Nylon stockings have no stretch, so make sure you have the correct size or the stockings might bag at the ankles. When choosing a suspender belt to wear with your stockings, consider that the more straps the straighter the seams will stay as you go about your day. Go classy with high heels or funky with knee high boots (check out this post by my predecessor to see this look), seamed stockings can be worn any way you want so be creative!