History of Stockings

Although the ancient Greek and Romans had their own variation of what we know as stockings, the official history of stockings started with William Lee, who first invented the modern stocking in 1589. In the history of stockings, such leg garments were mostly made for men with women wearing stockings later in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Throughout the history of stockings, men have worn them to go well with breeches and boots.

Original stockings were made of cotton and silk during the Victorian period and into the 1920s. Stockings underwent a setback during World War One period as such raw materials were needed for the war effort. By the 1920s, silk stockings grew popular in the advent of more liberal fashion trends. You can see plenty of risqué photos of sultry, young women and flapper dancers always showing their silk legs whenever they had the chance. Nylon hosiery did not arrive on the scene until the 1940s and were so popular the Japanese silk market collapsed and merchants could not keep up with the demand.

This craze was halted in the advent of World War Two when raw materials such as nylon were needed for the war. To compensate, women drew lines down the back of the legs to simulate the effect of hosiery. The post-war period saw the return of stockings throughout the decades. Pantyhose were invented in the 1960s, a variation on the British termed tights since men regularly wore tight all throughout the medieval and renaissance period. Today, stockings are preferred compared to pantyhose.