Stockings - Getting a Leg Up, Again

It hasn't been all that long since vintage stockings became a staple in women's attire. Leg wear has been around for longer than we have been alive, but it wasn't until the early part of the twentieth century that the fashion hit the mainstream. The twenties were roaring with a newfound freedom and independence. Women took the initiative to make the world their own. By doing so, fashion forward apparel hit the main stage, and opened up new lifestyles for women around the world.

Not too many years later came the wars and the depression. With the men overseas fighting the war, women were now called upon to do jobs formally considered to be a man's. Women stepped up to the challenge and did a remarkable job.

Since those times, women's fashion became different. The styles were functional, yet the sex appeal was becoming more apparent with every passing season. They were becoming more risqué, and more and more women became to appreciate their bodies in the new duds.

Replacing the Traditional Stocking

At the 1939 World's Fair in New York, DuPont revealed their new scientific breakthrough: nylon. Until now, women's stockings had been traditionally made of silk. With this new material came the creation of the nylons we know of today. The synthetic material was stretchy, lightweight, and relatively cheap to produce. Stockings were expensive to manufacture and they needed to be custom fit. Nylons were one size fits all.

Women now were able to buy more than one pair of nylons stockings and didn't have to spend an arm and a leg. During the years of WWII, much of the nylon was used for military tents, parachutes, and more, creating a shortage in retail stores. Soon after the war, though, women's legs were buzzing again.

A Silk Stocking Comeback

After the invention of nylons, silk stockings lost their popularity. Many producers were going out of business because they couldn't compete with nylon prices. The manufacturing process was much more difficult, and women were just not interested. Then along came the World Wide Web.

The internet is inherently good for ecommerce. It brings markets together, even though they may be worlds away from each other geographically. But not on the net. More and more vintage stocking manufacturers are now opening up shops and creating the classics again.

Lingerie stores don't have to compete with nylon producers because there are enough consumers of silk stockings that are fingertips away. Customers can order their stockings online and have them shipped to their door. There are now many companies that carry the traditional leg wear, along with a variety of other apparel such as intimates bras and panties.

Consumers can really find anything they are looking for on the internet, as it is there for the small shops to employ.

Robb Ksiazek researches, writes, and publishes about sexy lingerie for Lingerie-4U.biz. He feels the right apparel will allow us to be ourselves, yet someone we desire to be.