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 Being the recognized
symbol of women sexuality, the hosiery is the privilege of women today, though
appearance of this garment owed to knights. Today stockings is the intimate and
alluring part of the women wear while in the past, during XII-XIII centuries stockings were the garment designed
for men. Stockings were introduced in fashion in Europe
during primary knight trips. And the stockings served for the British and
German knights as the practical garment to protect warriors from external
factors.
Moreover, the
knight who is respected and is known to be reputable in the society had
to
learn knitting stockings for himself. Rufus, the son to the legendary
William
the Conqueror, used to wear the exclusive and expensive stockings that
were glorified
in odes of the court poets, though he never took part in grandiose
trips of
conquest. While men favored the comfort and warmth of hosiery, women
just stayed
envious since appearance of women in stockings was something like
indecent action
to blame for. Only to the end of the XIV century high society ladies
were
finally permitted wearing stockings. Yet, the shorter stockings for
ladies were
supported with a garter. England is the home foe womenstockings.
The batch production of stockings in England became common and
womenunlike the mediaeval knights did not have to knit stockings for
themselves. Moreover thespecial knitting schools were opened for girls
from poor families to master the art of hosieryknitting. England was
also the homeland for the first knitting machine.
The history tells that ayoung engineer William Lee invented the machine
to organize the better and easier life for hisbeloved, engaged in
knitting work. However, Lee failed to benefit from his
invention^ after the young inventor demonstrated to the public the
advantages
and capacity of the knitting machine, Elizabeth, the Queen forbade to
commit to
arrange hosiery production with the purpose to keep the working places
for the
thousands of knitters.
The hard
work of knitters was improved to some extent several decades later when Louis
XIV, the King of France approved establishment of the first hosiery factory. And
that was the triggering point for the mass production of hosiery throughout Europe.
Throughout
several centuries the technology of hosiery production was unchanged.
The plaincloth was cut out and the stockings were sewed manually.
Those stockings were favorite garment
for both men to wear under short trousers and women to wear under long
skirts.
That time
the stockings were not of the shape and style we are accustomed to see not in
stores. They somewhat fitted to legs with the relief and prominent seams. The
ladies and gentlemen of the court preferred wearing stockings made from silk
while ordinary people were satisfied with woolen stockings.
The stockings
experienced the regular epoch in the XIX century when the women skirts were
shortened and became the separate garment. Owing to the development of more knitting
machines and introduction of synthetic silk, almost all women who were too courageous
to wear dresses and skirts at the lower the knee level could afford stockings.
In the end of the XIX century the garters were abolished. The garters served as
the support to hold the stockings were replaced with the suspenders, while
stockings swiftly became the symbol of sexuality.
In the XX century the production of stockings developed at the impetuous speed.
Theartificial silk was replaced with the popular fabric – nylon. Since the end of the 1939
thenylon stockings which are durable and tightly fitted won the popularity among women of theworld.
Sales figures
for nylon stockings reached the tens of million pairs per year. Later on the alternative
was proposed for nylon and in 1958 spandex was introduced. The first seamless stockings
appeared later on sale.
The epoch of the grandiose reputation of stockings was ceased by a
woman,
though
it mightbe surprising.
A British designer Mary Quant was the first woman who offered mini
skirts towomen. The trendy mini skirts forced the hosiery manufacturers
produce seamless pantyhose instead of stockings and the ends of
stockings were not
seen any longer from under the short skirts. Some time later a woman
appearing
with bare legs without stockings or pantyhose became the common thing.
The
fashion changes and we change with it.
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