Women's Stockings

Stockings accompany women for the last centuries of the fashion world. Today socks are in the clear minority, women rather seize to tights or stay-up stockings. Substantial quantities of stockings came up at World War II from Saxonia. There the German leg wear industry had concentrated, because all important patents and licenses in cord mechanical engineering were held there.

Companies such Kunert developed and manufactured stockings in industrial magnates style. Contrary to knee-highs, stockings reach far enough over the knee and are securely attached to a garter belt. One of the most shocking but still inspiring pictures world-wide is the film poster from "Der blaue Engel" with Marlene Dietrich (1929/30). The way to wear stockings with a garter belt has never changed. Also children socks had been worn like that. Only the invention of stay-up stockings, thus the processing of natural rubber -, and/or silicone coated bands women could do without knee-highs.

Likewise the purifying pantyhose as well as normal lady socks replaced the knee-highs very soon. Main arguments were the simple handling and the better fitting comfort. Today an increasing number of women estimate the traditional way of wearing stockings. The stockings pattern and color variety was already enormous before World War 1. Cultural aspects did not limit those varieties, it always was a matter of new technological challenges to produce womenŽs stockings with patterns or curls.