Short Takes

Nylons

Not sure how much detail is appropriate here, but...

I remember when stockings made of nylon first came out. They were sheer, unlike the silk stockings previously worn. There were two lengths, knee high and thigh high. Knee highs were held up with elastic garters. Much later the knee highs came with the garters attached. Some women used garters to hold up the thigh length nylons too, but that as very uncomfortable. Some women could tie a knot in the top of the hose to hold them up. That didn't work very well for me. The best way to hold the thigh length nylons up was with a garter belt. It fit around the waist with four elastic strips attached, one in front and one in back for each leg. Each strip had a gripping device attached to the end which gripped the top of the stocking. The stocking tops were reenforced with thicker nylon fabric. They could be uncomfortable to sit in.

For the most part the nylons were attractive, but there was one problem - there was a darker seam that went up the back. The trick was always to make sure that the seam was straight as it traversed the length of the leg. It was easy for the seam to become crooked if one was very active while wearing the nylons.

The early nylons were prone to snags and runs and so women often would put them on while wearing a pair of dress gloves (another outdated item). Sometimes a run could be prevented by treating a snag with a dab of clear fingernail polish. Of course, if the snag was discovered after the nylons were on, and the polish then applied, you would have the nylon stuck to your leg.

Eventually the panty hose came down the pike with a whole new set of problems. You would have laughed yourself silly if you could have seen the contortions we went through to get those things on. They were likely to slide down if you got too small a size, or would get baggy around the ankles if the size was too big. The seams eventually went away - phew! The color choices and sizes were refined until the panty hose is pretty much the way to go. For me, however, being allergic to nylon, I don't care if I ever wear nylons again! I am going modern and wearing cotton slacks and cotton socks with an appropriate top for whatever occasion.