All About Stockings

Luxury Stockings

Then you have the classic vintage stocking. Designers make these on a regular circular knitting machines for this. They add the seam after knitting and dyeing. There are also plenty of luxury items out there. You can purchase stockings made in France which are made from pure silk. Silk stockings have a limited stretch capability. So one has to make sure that they choose the right size. However, once worn, few people want to go back to nylon or polyamide stockings. If treated properly silk stockings can be very durable and last much longer than any others.

Because they are a natural fibre, silk stockings feel wonderful on your legs and will keep you cool in warm weather by allowing your legs to breath. There are a number of manufacturers of high quality luxury items. Mostly these come from either France or Italy and they will have a more expensive price tag on them than your every day pair. For that special event or just to indulge yourself in a product that you know will look and feel amazing then the more luxurious end of the market will be for you.

Stockings are the single oldest items of women’s leg wear in the world. They are centuries older than most any other kind of modern clothing and have hardly changed at all. Manufacturers go about this differently, but not always. However the actual garments are almost entirely the same as they have always been. Why are they so popular and why has no one changed them after all these decades? There are many different reasons, so let’s take a look at the history of these gorgeous garments and see what the secret to making a timeless item is.

The Classic Backseams

The reason black stockings with a seam are so popular is simple. “They look great. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is the way most people would put it. These close fitting seamed stockings are so elegant because they highlight your legs and bring a dose of colour to your skin. Whether it is a classic black with a black seam or a contrast stocking with a skin tone leg and a black seam or the nude colour leg with a nude seam, they bring something more to your figure and your legs. Recent additions have be to introduce brightly coloured numbers with a contrast seam. You will certainly turn heads in a pair of these.

Seamed stockings also add length to your legs visually. By adding a back seam, which is a common choice amongst the stockings designers of today, they do more than just highlight your legs with colour. They bring another boost in the form of extra length. By enhancing a whole dimension, they are truly amazing items and something that every woman will love wearing. They have always been one of the best items for this kind of effect.

It is probably because they are one of the more visually distinct items in the leg wear world, so they use this to their advantage. If you have a few pairs of eyes trained on your legs all day, it’s only sensible to sculpt, shape and enhance them a little. Back seams and other kinds of stockings do this incredibly well. They create a visual display that is hard to ignore and downright impossible not to love.

Sheer Stockings

So this is one reason for sheer stockings remaining as popular as they have up until the present day. But there’s more to their history than just feminine charm. They were originally a unisex garment. And men wore them more widely than women. The first women’s sheer stockings were made of silk, silk stockings were created in the 1600s for Queen Elizabeth of England. They were a gift from the inventor of the specialist loom. He used to make these gorgeous and fragile garments.

After the success of the first pair, the loom was used to manufacture fitted leg wear for many decades after. That was until the industrial revolution took over its production. But after this, nearly every one of the middle class or up wore stockings. They were part of each and every uniform and official form of dress that you might term “formal”. Stockings were even a requirement, alongside a knitted wig, waistcoat and tailed jacket in the government buildings of Europe. This was after King Louis of France declared it official court dress.

For a few centuries, everyone wore stockings as part of their daily dress. From Shakespeare and Sire Walter Raleigh, to Mozart and Sir Walter Scott. Of course, there is some difference in material, cut, and function from today to the ones worn in the past. But in its basic form, stockings have been integral to fashion in the Western world. Sheers have only gone from one strength to another since then. With the invention of elastane and nylon, the strength and elasticity of this garment has increased. This allowed finer deniers of stockings to be produced, thus adding to overall appeal and beauty.

Fishnet Stockings

Fishnets are now a beautiful part of everyday fashion and formal wear, quite often worn to the office, their enduring qualities of elegance, practicality and versatile beauty are what has made them so popular. Fishnet stockings also come in many colours, size of net and with a back seam, so there will be one for every occasion. And what is more, fishnet stockings might just top the list for the raunchiest and sexiest of all leg wear.

What The Garment Is Like Today

So what are stockings like today? Modern stockings are mostly made of nylon due to it being inexpensive and easy to manufacture. But traditional silk is still used by many designers. There are a few in Paris, London and other fashion capitals that keeps the most traditional items of leg wear alive. Silk stockings are still hand made in a few of these artisan manufacturers’ studios, and they are as beautiful and exceptional as you would imagine. But there is a type of stocking for everyone.

Floral lace stockings, patterned stockings, back seam stockings, coloured stockings and everything else you can think of are out there for you to try and fall in love with. Whether you want to wear them for a special occasion, to dress up in costume, to relive the vintage style of another era or if they are just for the boudoir, there are stockings of every variety and for every taste.

Stockings and suspenders are a pleasure to wear and although they require a little bit more setup each morning to wear, the result is well worth it. Speaking of setup, there is only one thing that stockings need that other leg wear doesn’t and that is a suspender belt. It only takes a minute to slip one on and attach the clasps, but that’s just a small thing that adds a world of beauty to your outfit. After all, a suspender belt is itself a work of art and is the perfect garment for adding a dose of extra femininity to your outfit.

If you want a classic ensemble with one of the most attractive combinations of style and sexiness, stockings and a suspender belt are for you. If you haven’t the time to use a suspender belt why not try stay up stockings, or hold ups as we call them, for yourself? To see all of our stockings see click here.