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Hosiery is knitted coverings for the legs and feet. Also referred to as legwear, hosiery describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose. The term is also used for all types of knitted fabric, and it's thickness and weight is defined in terms of denier or opacity. Lower denier measurements of 5 to 15 describe a hose which may be sheer in appearance, whereas styles of 40 and above are dense, with little to no light able to come through on 100 denier items.

Most hosiery garments are made by knitting methods. Modern hosiery is usually tight-fitting by virtue of stretchy fabrics and meshes. Older forms include binding to achieve a tight fit. Due to its close fit, most hosiery can be worn as an undergarment, but it is more commonly worn as a combined under/outer garment.

  • Hold-ups (British English), Stay-ups (British English) or Thigh-high stockings (American English)
  • Leggings
  • Socks, tube socks (American English), knee highs and over-the-knees
  • Stockings, held by a garterbelt, also known as "sussies"
  • Tights (British English) or Pantyhose (American English)
  • Toe socks
Hosiery terminology

  • Cuban heel: Hosiery with a heel made with folded over and sewn reinforcement
  • Demi-toe: Hosiery which have a reinforced toe with half the coverage on top as on the bottom. This results in a reinforcement that covers only the tip of the toes as opposed to the whole toe. These can be with or without a reinforced heel
  • Denier: The lower the denier number the sheerer the garment. Hosiery knitted with a higher denier tend to be less sheer but more durable
  • Fishnet: Knitted hosiery with a very wide open knit resembling a fish net
  • Fencenet: Similar to fishnet, but with a much wider pattern. These are sometimes worn over another pair of hosiery or pantyhose, such as matte or opaque, with a contrasting colour
  • Full-Fashioned: Fully-fashioned hosiery are knitted flat, the material is then cut and the two sides are then united by a seam up the back. Fully-fashioned hosiery were the most popular style until the 1960s
  • Hold-ups or Stay-ups: hosiery that are held up by sewn-in elasticated bands (quite often a wide lace top band)
  • Knee-Highs: hosiery that terminate at or just barely below the knee
  • Matte: hosiery which have a dull or non-lustre finish
  • Mock seam: A false seam sewn into the back of a seamless hosiery
  • Nude heel: hosiery without reinforcement in the heel area
  • Opaque: hosiery made of yarn which give them a heavier appearance (usually 40 denier or greater)
  • RHT: Abbreviation of reinforced heel and toe
  • Open-toed: hosiery that stop at the base of the toe with a piece that goes between the first and second toes to hold them down. They can be worn with some open-toed shoes, especially to show off pedicured toes
  • Sandalfoot: hosiery with a nude toe, meaning no heavier yarn in the toe than is in the leg
  • Seamed: hosiery manufactured in the old Full-Fashioned manner with a seam running up the back of the leg. In the past they were manufactured by cutting the fabric and then sewing it together. Today hosiery are generally fully knitted and a fake or mock seam is added up the back for a particular fashion look
  • Seamless: hosiery knit in one operation on circular machines (one continuous operation) so that no seaming is required up the back
  • Sheers: hosiery generally of a 15 to 20 denier
  • Thigh-Highs: hosiery that terminate somewhere in the mid-thigh
  • Ultra Sheer: A fine denier fiber which gives the ultimate in sheerness. Usually 10 denier
  • Welt: A fabric knitted separately and machine-sewn to the top of hosiery. Knit in a heavier denier yarn and folded double to give strength for supporter fastening
Nylon Stockings which are also known as hosiery, or hose, and popularly as "Nylons", are coverings for legs and feet. Early references to hosiery go back to the ancient Greeks. Workmen and slaves wore hosiery in ancient times, and Roman woman wore a short sock (called a soccus) in their homes. Silk or cotton socks were also worn in Japan and China for centuries.

Socks evolved into stockings in 12th century Europe. Breeches worn by men became close fitting, reaching from the waist to the foot like modern tights. Women wore nylon stockings held up at the knee by garters. After 1545 nylon stockings came into fashion, their seams were often ornamented by elaborate silk patterns, or "clocks". This term is still in use today as "fancy feet" the decorative seam treatments that were popular during the late 40's and early 50's.

William Lee, an English clergyman, made the first knitting machine in 1589. Silk and cotton were the popular fibers of the era. Silk of course was the choice of royalty as the discovery of the New World opened up trade in this rare and luxurious fiber.

There were many different ways to wear stockings. Nylon stockings were sometimes worn several pairs at a time in cold weather. In the 17th century when large boots were in fashion, linen "boot hose" were worn to protect the nylon stockings underneath. They had wide lace tops, which were turned over the boots. Men continued to wear nylon stockings with garters until the end of the 18th century, but long trousers begin to appear and socks have been worn underneath ever since.

In the 19th century machine-made nylon stockings became available for women. After World War I (1914-1918) short skirts were fashionable and long nylon stockings were worn again, once again, proving that fashion and skirt length determine hosiery fashion! With the discovery and ultimate use of Dupont Nylon in the late 30's and early 40's, the primacy of silk in women's hosiery waned. Silk was ultimately replaced by nylon after the war. But it was not without challenges from other man made fibers such as Rayon, Bamberg, and Vilene.

Nylon stockings which became popular after World War II (1939-1945) and completely replaced the silk stocking usually had seams until the late 1960's. They were knitted flat and "fully fashioned" which means that they were shaped to fit the leg like modern sweaters. By decreasing the number of stitches as the nylon stocking was knit towards the ankle, a garment was created that was "knit to fit".

By the early sixties, "fully fashioned" nylon stockings were rapidly replaced by modern reinforced heel and toe seamless stockings. Seamless nylon stockings are made on a circular knitting machines and are shaped by tightening the stitches. Hosiery is often described as being of a particular "denier", which means the thickness of the yarn. The gauge describes the number of stitches in a row.

In the 1960's when skirts were worn very short, many women began to wear tights (nylon pantyhose) instead of nylon stockings. To show, "a bit of stocking", was no longer accepted and while nylon stockings fought for market share by becoming extremely long, they became nearly extinct as nylon pantyhose gained in popularity.