Historical information

These nylon stockings are a sample of the type of stockings worn by women between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Before the Second World War women’s stockings were made mostly of silk, cotton and wool. Nylon stockings became popular with the introduction of nylon in the 1940s and continued to be used (in conjunction with suspender belts) until the 1960s when the pantihose, a thin nylon form of tights covering the legs up to the waist, was introduced and became the favored leg covering for women. Stockings can still be purchased and worn in some circumstances.

Significance

These stockings are of interest as an example of the items of clothing worn by women in the mid 20th century. They will be useful for display

Physical description

This is a pair of beige-coloured nylon stockings. They are folded into a piece of white cardboard and partly enclosed in a clear cellophane wrapping with a decorative pattern on the edges.

Inscriptions & markings

‘Hilton Cotton Foot 30 Denier Twin Thread 10½ Average’