Womens Sizes Plus

Stockings and tights are now all around, and are a staple feature of any girls wardrobe. Nowadays we take tights for granted now, assume that they will be available in a range of styles and fashions. Yet, tights only became available for the average person in the 1960’s. Stockings have been around for hundreds of years and are available in materials such as nylon, silk, wool and cotton. However, in the early days in the 1500’s when stockings were first worn, surprisingly, they were worn by men.

Women only begun wearing tights and stockings much later on, in the twentieth century. This was fuelled by social change, when women were able to show their legs. However, it will still be a minority of women that wore stockings, as they were fairly expensive. Nylon, an affordable material for tights, was only invented in the 1930's and the first available Nylon tights did not appear until the 40's. These stockings were seamed stockings, made by sewing together two pieces of material. This old fashioned technique is rarely used today, although mock seamed tights (and pantyhose) have come back into fashion. The first stockings did not adjust to fit the shape of the leg like today, the material was not stretcy enough so stockings had to come in many different sizes.

Stockings were first sold in stores in America, tights were not yet invented. However once America joined World War Two, Nylon was diverted to the war effort. It was extremely difficult to get hold of stockings. It is in this period when women famously painted lines on the back of their legs which resembled seams. This made it look like they were wearing stockings.

It was only in the 1950s that scientists discovered nylon that could stretch. This really improved the fit of stockings to women’s legs. It also made stockings much more comfortable for women, and consequently, more popular. Allen Grant Sr. was said to invent tights in 1953, however they did not really catch on until the 1960’s, as a result of social change. Before the 1960's it had been unacceptable for women to show a great deal of leg, making stockings much more appropriate. However, in the 60’s mini dresses and mini skirts became very popular. Due to the amount of leg exposure, stockings were not sufficient and tights were invented. Tights rapidly became more popular with ladies than stockings. Both tights and stockings resembled more like what we see today. They no longer had seams as they were manufactured in a tube.

Although it has now become socially acceptable to show bare legs, tights and stockings are still important items. Tights are worn by some ladies every day, some for work, and some solely for social occasions. Tights and Stocking technology has also come a long way in recent years. There are now tights designed to improve circulation, flatten the stomach, sculpt the buttocks, massage and even moisturise legs. There are also now many tights designed purely for fashion statement purposes. Tights have become more radical and in your face, with bright fun designs as well as old classics like the black tight.

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Hosiery comes in many different forms. The main three types of hosiery consist of tights, stockings and hold ups. Tights are the most popular form of ladies hosiery. This hasn’t always been the case, tights only became accessible to the average person in the 1960’s, before this period stockings dominated. Tights are a leg garment that go from the waist right down covering the feet and toes. In America sheer tights are called pantyhose, whilst tights 40 denier or above, is called tights. Some tights do not cover the feet, these are generally termed footless tights or leggings, and are currently high fashion. Tights come in lots of different styles. Some tights are nude coloured and are used to improve the appearance of the legs, leading to a flawless finish. Classic sheer or opaque tights are a staple part of most girls wardrobes, and the past five years have seen a real emergence of fashion tights. Tights nowadays come in a variety of colours from subtle black, to brown to bright neon. They also come in a range of patterns which reflect the current trends. These include lace, fishnet designs, stripes and much more.

Stockings are a tight leg garment covering from the toes and feet to the upper thigh. Unlike tights, stockings consist of a pair. Stockings were extremely popular up until the 1960’s when popularity declined. True stockings require a suspender belt to keep them up. Stockings are preferable to tights for many ladies. They expose the thigh which gives them a sexier look. They give the wearer more freedom much more than tights, they provide much more ventilation and are often thought of as more convenient. Stockings come in a wide range of fashionable styles. Currently fashionable is the mock seamed stockings, this is where a line resembling a seam is sown into the tight to resemble 1950’s style stockings. This is often associated with sophistication and glamour. Other popular stockings include fishnet stockings, these are knitted stockings with wide gaps which looks like a fishnet, these create a sexy look which is extremely popular. Other stockings include knee high, which sit just below the knee, opaque stockings and sheer stockings. There are also a range of gorgeous suspender belts available to make you feel very sexy and special. Stockings and suspenders are particularly popular for extra special occasions such as your wedding.

A piece of hosiery that differs from both tights and stockings are hold ups. These are most similar to stockings, yet do not require any kind of suspender belt as they stay up on their own. They often have a strip of elastic material that attaches to the thigh area keeping them in place. The elastic material is generally decorated with lace designs, providing a sexy, pretty look. These are often thought of as preferable to stockings, as suspender belts can be difficult to find. Yet the complexity of stockings can be aesthetically appealing. Hold ups come in a range of different styles which include some with seams, fishnets, sheer, opaque, lace top and fashion hold ups.

Technorati Tags: hold ups, stockings, tights