# Origins/history of fishnet stockings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897 "2004-01-05T23:25:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/1 "2004-01-05T23:25:51Z")
I was just wondering if any of you knew the origin of fishnet stockings. I wonder about this because they seem so trashy and at the same time look like they would be kind of difficult to make. How old is the fidshnet stocking? It seems like they would be hard to make back in the day and thus expensive. If they were expensive then it seems like they wouldn’t have been trashy. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/2 "2004-01-05T23:56:59Z")
Trashy? I guess it depends on where you are coming from. They seem nostalgic to me, and that is how I prefer to remember them. In the 1960’s/70’s, they were in style, so were all kinds of texured and colored stockings, along with short skirts and patent leather colored go-go boots, wild colors, etc. It didnt look “trashy” to us if all your normal average friends were wearing them, we thought they were a cute look, and not wearing them made you look dull and prudish. Fishnets, at that time, didnt cost any more than any other type of textured hose - not expensive, sometimes a dollar more than regular hose or even for the same price at Kmart. Fancy stockings were a lot more common when miniskirts and legs were in style-you cant have half your body in plain ole beige or suntan every day all the time- that would be boring. I really dont remember them being used much before the late 1960’s on any women except on waitresses in fancy and very classy upscale restaurants and on some movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, etc. I guess today, they must be more common on prostitutes and who knows where else than on a highschool or college girl because most women no longer own/wear them - so maybe a younger person today might think them “trashy”? I dont think you will find them used much before the psycadelic 1960’s. If anyone knows who used them before the 1960’s except for upscale waitresses let them tell us. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/3 "2004-01-06T00:08:55Z")
I do not have a cite for this… but I think some where in my life I have seen a painting of George Washington crossing the Deleware and if you look just close enough… you can see some… ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/4 "2004-01-06T00:28:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZebraShaSha \* > \*\*I do not have a cite for this… but I think some where in my life I have seen a painting of George Washington crossing the Deleware and if you look just close enough… you can see some… \*\* Yes- they did wear stockings and tights, and wigs , and ribbons in their hair, and powder, and rouge, and lace and ruffles and high heels and jewelry and hankies and scarves back then/before then (1700’s), and men(pirates and indians) wore pierced earings before women did, but men never wore fishnet stockings. I dont think they knew how to make them back then, and I dont remember any paintings at the museums of the old masters that show fishnets on anybody either. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/5 "2004-01-06T02:01:03Z")
A quick scan of my newspaper database shows that they were popularly in the news in the late '60’s as other posters have offered. No hits from 1900-1960. That doesn’t mean they weren’t there, just maybe not by that name. I envision them on French actressess in the 1930-40’s. Wonder if I’m just misrememebering or don’t know what they were called so I can search. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/6 "2004-01-06T02:16:47Z")
Oh my stars and garters, **That** was an interesting search! 🙂 Here’s what appears to be a pretty good [history of hosiery](http://histclo.hispeed.com/style/foot/sock/hose-hist.html). > [@](#): > > Queen Elizabeth I refused William Lee the first patent for his knitting machine because she didn’t like the feel of the stockings it produced. The site doesn’t mention fishnets though. This piece on [Elizabethan theatre](http://members.fortunecity.es/fabianvillegas/drama/elizabethan.htm) (1558-1603) _does_: > [@](#): > > The conventions of pantomime revel in their own artificiality: the **fishnet tights** are to signal that the handsome prince is a woman, the Dame’s monstrous false breasts signal that ‘she’ is a man. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/7 "2004-01-06T02:29:34Z")
The OED cites “Fishnet stockings” first from 1933 thusly: > [@](#): > > 1933 D. L. SAYERS Murder must Advertise x. 182 My dear! and got up regardless…fish-net stockings and all. They cite the loosely woven fabric by thr name “fishnet” in 1881. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/8 "2004-01-06T02:34:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*A quick scan of my newspaper database shows that they were popularly in the news in the late '60’s as other posters have offered. No hits from 1900-1960. \*\* Ok, thats what I remember anyways, as far as mainstream society. What is this “newspaper database”? Can anybody access it? And I forgot about the beatniks! I never personally knew any, but they were around, and we knew of them, read of them, saw them on the news. That was 1950’s. The women wore black, but I dont remember if they just wore black stockings all the time or fishnets - but possilby fishnets. Try looking up female beatniks on your newspaper database. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/9 "2004-01-06T02:38:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\* > They cite the loosely woven fabric by thr name “fishnet” in 1881. \*\* Well if its 1881, you arent going to “see” them anyways, not even an ankle. What about the French can can dancers? Moulin Rouge? etc? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/10 "2004-02-20T01:38:40Z")
I’m curious. Any new ideas on this topic? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/11 "2004-02-20T02:00:40Z")
As far as my searching a newspaper database, it’s a subscription one. A further update; I found a few 1919-1920 articles which suggest that the hose were rather new. And they weren’t accepted by everyone. One of the articles said that women under 18 should NOT wear fishnet stockings nor slinky skirts. The fishnet design was basically sewn onto overall flesh-colored hose. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/12 "2004-03-27T22:32:33Z")
Thank you all for your replies to this thread. What you came up with was really fascinating. I know this reply is long in coming, but I almost forgot about this thread until it somehow came back to me. I had only read Susanann’s first reply so the post after that were new to me. So I’m glad I did a search for the thread. This post can also serve as a bump, since I think more people than just myself may be interested in this topic. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![michellemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@michellemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/michellemma)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-history-of-fishnet-stockings/222897/13 "2011-09-14T03:49:58Z")
Hi, I just found this super-old thread in a google search, and thought I’d add some thoughts. I recently happened across this photograph of a 50s pinup (Joi Lansing). Perhaps you’re interested to see how they were worn, but in any case at least we know from this that at least they were around and worn by some in the 50s. [![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lre1h7huCF1qkjf94o1_500.jpg) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lre1h7huCF1qkjf94o1_500.jpg) Michelle