I just finished listening to a pretty funny George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (radio) where Gracie makes a typical boneheaded move (at least George thinks so) of buying a LOT of nylon stockings. Of course everything works out well, 'cause this episode is just after WWII, when nylon stocking weren’t available, and so the whole city has to have nylons and Gracie now has a monopoly on them.
From The History Of Hosiery
This got me to thinking, women (and men if you wear them), just how much do you love/like nylon stockings? Would you miss them if they were not available like in WWII? Or could you be happy with the alternatives?
This being the dope and all, you’ll be asked to clarify:
Do you specifically mean stockings - the kind worn with garters or do you mean any type of nylons (pantyhose, thigh highs, etc). What do you mean by alternatives? Fishnets? Or do you mean an alternative material.
It seems to me that generally speaking, women below 40 don’t wear them much anymore, even in office settings. I think they are nice but I haven’t worn any work related in years. I don’t particularly miss them. I am more than fed up to spend $5-20 on a pair that tears within hours.
For me, if they fell off the face of the earth, I wouldn’t particularly miss them.
I think they are fairly out of fashion. Once upon a time bare legs on a women was deathly scandalous; today, in NYC, I rarely see women wearing stockings. Personally, I’d like to see them all burned in a great big bonfire.
I know nothing about nylon stockings, being a male and a gay male at that. I just thought it I’d ask as the Burn and Allen episode was so funny. And of all the things that women couldn’t get during WWII, it seems they really went nuts for nylon stockings. Whatever that was referring to back then.
So feel free to contribute whatever you think. I didn’t even realize that women wear them anymore, so much for the egg and the stocking thing eh?
Do I love them compared to the options I have now, such as going bare-legged, wearing pants, or wearing, say, tights with modern elastics? Hell no. I’ll wear pants, thank you. I do occasionally wear nylon pantyhose for weddings and such, but often I don’t even do that.
Would I love them compared to wearing the uncomfortable, non-elastic garter-based options that were available 40s, since bare legs/ pants weren’t really acceptable for women?
I’m female and 53. I have worn traditional hose with a girdle with garters only a few times (my mother decided that I needed to wear stockings, and that’s what she had, no pantyhose in the house). I despise nylon hose and panty hose. I am perfectly content to wear actual socks, that is, sort of like men wear. I’ve worn knee highs and I don’t like them, but they’re better than actual pantyhose.
Nylon hosiery tends to be too delicate for me, and it also requires too much special care.
Hose is out of style currently and has been for a couple years - typically women who wear them are seen as older or unfashionable, or under a strict corporate dress code. (Alternately, more concerned about the appearance of their pale/veined/etc. legs than about appearing in style.)
So speaking for nylon stockings as a whole - no, I don’t love them currently. If I were expected to wear them, I’d certainly love them more than what women in the '40s had to deal with.
I’m 25 years old and women of my generation generally do not wear pantyhose/nylons/ etc. Now, in the winter, leggings (sometimes in fun colors and patterns) do get some popularity, but even then. . . I live in Southern California, so it’s not like coldness necessitates me covering my legs. I don’t wear stockings to work, to formal events, or to anything, really. Well, that’s not true- I wear fishnets and stuff every so often for costume purposes, but that’s about it.
I think an older woman (not old, just older than me) would be a little more concerned about the loss of nylons. Besides the generational social conditioning they’ve had (COVER YOUR LEGS, HUSSY!), women of a certain age generally like hose because it covers the imperfections on their legs (veins, wrinkles, scars, etc etc).
I wouldn’t really miss them if they fell off the face of the earth. Just about the only time that I wear them is when I’m expected to dress like a grown-up and slacks aren’t an option.
As far as stockings go, when I do wear them, I prefer silk. And I hate, hate, hate pantyhose! I’ve never gotten a pair that fit in both the legs and waist.
I almost never wear skirts anymore. When I do, I’d much rather have silk. Back when that was an every day thing, silk was too expensive, and I wore nylon. hated them, still do.
Color me an old fuddy-duddy, then. Not so much about avoiding the “hussy” label as for the firming and smoothing effects (both physical and visual). I also think they feel nice and provide a “finished” look. I should note that I don’t have to wear them except when I want to; I work at home, so most days I’m just wearing comfy things, but when I go out and about I do like to look nice, and that includes dresses and skirts. I don’t always wear nylons, but I’m more likely to wear them with shorter skirts.
I work with a woman who’s 40 (I’m 32) and she wore black stockings to the Christmas party…and every woman there made an almost involuntary face, like “Cute dress…oh…why did she wear HOSE with it??” I dunno anybody under 50 who wears hosiery without appearing dated and/or clueless. I haven’t worn stockings since I was a little girl; that’s about the only people who can get away with it, IMHO. Little girl + Easter dress + hat + white stockings = awwwww…how cute. And old ladies wear them cuz old ladies dress like…old ladies.
But if you’re between puberty and old age, chances are good you won’t be wearing stockings. I hate them and I’m glad they’re out of style.
Hate them. They are horribly uncomfortable and hot. I have worn hose once in the past 10 years (my stepfather’s memorial, I just knew it was expected and the “right” thing to do). I do occasionally wear tights - particularly black tights, slim black skirt and black knee boots. Also hate tights, but they aren’t quite as yucky as hose.
I go bare-legged when I think it’s appropriate for the outfit, other times I wear fishnets or off-black hosiery. I did swear off the beige color though…
I think the reason women were so desperate for nylons during wartime was that they were easily damaged. Before the rationing they could be replaced easily and cheaply but after that they couldn’t be replaced at all. That left you with the option of wearing tattered stockings, going bare-legged (apparently not acceptable), or wearing old fashioned old lady lisle stocking that would sag.
I’m glad I have the Dope. I’m 41 and I hardly ever wear skirts, nor, I guess, do I check out the legs of other women much, so I didn’t know hose had fallen so out of fashion. Should I have occasion to wear a shortish skirt I’ll go bare (though it will feel a little weird)
I’m trying to think of some sort of equivalent loss in my own life. I think if mascara suddenly became unavailable for reasons of national defense you would see me hoarding, begging, borrowing, hopefully not going so far as stealing, so loathe am I to appear in public without it (not because I like to be made up but because mascara lets me look much prettier without seeming to have any makeup on.)
Yeah, me too. If I’m wearing a dress, I’m wearing nylons. Trust me, it’s better this way. I’m 37. And I don’t care much if they’re out of style.
I usually wear pants to work and most of the time, I’m wearing knee-high stockings unless I’m wearing shoes that need socks. My work shoes are more comfortable that way. You can’t actually see any evidence of it about 80% of the time, but my feet are happier.
My friend who is uber-stylish wears patterned nylons all the time, so it can’t be that awful.
I’ve read (can’t vouch for veracity) that during WWII women who had to go bare-legged because of the unavailability of silk or nyoln stockings drew lines up the backs of their legs to look like the seams in silk stockings.
Personally, I can’t stand them. But my pasty white legs look horrible, too. I generally wear long pants.
Ick, I hate nylons. I can never get them to stay up, and because of this I’m always distinctly aware that I’m wearing them.
I like the look of ones with fun patterns, but I prefer wearing American Apparel’s thigh-high socks, seen here: http:// store .americanapparel .net/rsaskth1.html (breaking the link because while the picture linked is SFW, there are others on the site that are not). They’re nearly as long as actual tights, but I’ve never had them fall down on me. They’re also warm enough for winter.
