Who invented stockings for women

Synthetic materials were not completely new. But until the breakthrough of nylon, no useful fibers had ever been synthesized entirely in the laboratory. Semi-synthetics such as Rayon and cellophane were derived from a chemical process that required wood pulp as a basic element. Manufacturers were stuck with the natural properties plant material brought to the table. Rayon for instance was too stiff, ill-fitting and shiny to be embraced as a replacement for real silk, which is, of course, merely the chemical processing of wood pulp in the belly of a silk worm rather than a test tube.

The completely unnatural features of nylon may not play as well in the marketplace today, but in , on the heels of the Great Depression, the ability to dominate the elements through chemistry energized a nation weary of economic and agricultural uncertainty. When new materials began to surface, these were hopeful signs. It was a time when industrial chemistry promised to lead humankind into a brighter future. The modern miracle of that first pair of nylon stockings represented the epitome of human superiority over nature, American ingenuity and a luxurious lifestyle.

Perhaps more important, however is that the new material being woven into hosiery promised to release the nation from reliance on Japan for 90 percent of its silk at a time when animosity was reaching a boiling point. In the late s, the U. They they learned to put some control into them so they would fit at your waist. Once models such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton put on their minis and added tights, young shoppers rushed to department stores to get their own pairs.

Their wardrobes reflected that idea by taking on a girlish spin. One group in particular seized on the youthful look: the Mods. They repeal female sexuality by rolling back the years to pre-puberty and even younger. How could a chap imagine making a pass at a girl-child in rompers?

But that was part of the appeal: the Mod look, including the tights, allowed women to extend their adolescence, the space between childhood and adulthood. No one knew this better than Mary Quant, the London-based designer who popularized the look. What really unnerved me was the awful realization that grown-up dressing was grotesque and drab.

It was the way I wished I looked. The tights came in Crayola colors, playful prints and girly embellishments, capturing an innocent aesthetic. It was the end of a certain kind of agency. Because of that, tights became part of a message of anti-establishment and looking towards the future. We invite you to follow an inspiring history around our legs. The first form of modern hosiery — wrapping thin strips of animal skin around the legs — goes back to the very early days, not even determinable with numbers.

Europeans replaced the skins they used to cover their legs with animal hair creating filaments of them for the first time. Vertical looms, which allowed to manufacture warps, created that typical diamond and chevron pattern of this era while the invention of horizontal looms started a huge change.

With the entirely new possibility to weave pieces of fabric 98 feet 30m long and 6,5 feet 2m wide, clothing for the first time could be cut and fitted to the body. The first kinds of tights in various colors, with patterns and stripes paired with short flaring jackets were worn by girls and women all over Europe. Still, doublet and hose became main components of the male wardrobe. The true pioneer of tights as we know them today were actually leggings for men.

In the very beginning attached at the belt, they were improved to become one piece of clothing by sewing a gusset in between. The invention of a machine for knitting stockings revolutionized the manufacturing of hosiery made from cotton, linen, wool or silk and when Queen Elisabeth I was presented the first pair of knitted silk stockings, she did not want to wear anything else again. Knitting was introduced and bias-cut fabrics have been replaced, which allowed for well-fitting hose.

A ribbon below the knee or a simple form of cross-gathering made sure they would stay in place. Request information. Enter your Name. Enter your Surname. Enter your email. Inserisci l'Azienda. Write your message. I do consent. I do not consent.