Nylon stocking

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nylon stockings

As nylon stockings is called stockings or tights from polyamide (trade name nylon, Perlon ) or similar microfibers . They are knitted and therefore relatively short-lived as they tend to be damaged, especially ladder stitches. Nylon stockings are often visible, for example under skirts , and exert a strong erotic charisma on some people, which can even lead to fetishism .

The density of the mesh is indicated by the unit of measurement denier . The den number indicates how heavy a thread 9000 m long is. A 15 denier stocking is produced from a yarn that weighs 15 grams over a length of 9,000 meters. The bandwidth ranges from 5 to 100 den. The stocking properties are strongly influenced by the thread size and stitch density. In general, stockings are considered to be more durable, warming and stronger in color, the thicker the thread thickness and the wider the mesh. Conversely, the thinner the thread and the tighter the mesh, the more transparent the stockings.

History of the nylon stocking

Quality inspection in a Malmö stocking factory (1954)
Hold-up nylon stockings for office wear

In 1935 Wallace Hume Carothers developed the first nylon fiber based on carbon, air and water. On December 15, 1939, the first nylon factory opened in Seaford , Delaware .

After 4000 copies were sold out within minutes during a test sale in a test facility, DuPont offered nylon stockings on May 15, 1940 (“N-Day”) in selected department stores in major US cities.

In 1941 ( attack on Pearl Harbor ) nylon became a militarily important material due to its tear resistance, for example for tents, ropes, aircraft tanks and parachutes. In large collection campaigns by patriotic women's associations, “nylons” were donated for war-important production.

A few days after the end of the war in August 1945, DuPont announced the restart of civilian production of nylon stockings. However, those responsible had not expected the great demand that had arisen in the meantime; the consumers appreciated the silky texture, delicacy and crystal transparency of the fabric. When the first produced articles were offered in the department stores of the big cities, there were riots according to press reports. At Macy’s in New York , 50,000 pairs were sold within six hours; in Pittsburgh , 40,000 people stood in line for 13,000 pairs of stockings. It was not until March 1946 that the US demand for nylon could be met. From then on, nylon was the most popular material in stocking manufacture.

The nylon stocking is an indispensable accessory for mannequins and movie stars . The first stockings still had a yarn count from 70 to 40  to , but were quickly replaced by finer 30-20 to 15 and finally to. In 1951 10 den were achieved. Today there are even yarns with only 5 denier. Stockings with a yarn strength over 40 denier are treated as opaque , those under 15 denier as sheers .

From 1945 to 1955, the nylon stocking with seams dominated the market. A virtue was made out of necessity, because there were still no knitting machines that could produce the necessary "round fabrics" - so the flat knitted fabric had to be sewn to fit, at the same time the back seam gave "a slim look", provided that the wearer did not wear the stockings crooked or twisted. Typically, the “nylons” reached up to about the middle of the thighs and were held there at the hem by means of adjustable suspenders (suspenders) on the hip belt or corset or in the hold-up variant with and without a garter .

With improvements in the knitting technique it was finally possible to knit the stocking blanks "endlessly" round . The result is a plain- colored hose , which is cut to the right length, sewn at the heel and hem, shaped by means of heat over a die and colored at the customer's request. From 1955 to 1965 this seamless stocking slowly gained the upper hand. Between 1965 and 1970, together with the miniskirt , tights (the production method of which largely corresponds to that of stockings) began to conquer the market and are now preferred by the majority of wearers to stockings or hold-ups.

See also

Movies

  • Nylons - myth of beauty, eroticism and prosperity (alternatively: myth of nylon - a touch of seduction ). Documentary. A film by Natascha Adler. A production by Spiegel TV , Germany 2001.

literature

  • Susanne Buck: "Wrought miracles, delicate dreams" - About women's legs and pearl stockings. Jonas, Marburg 1996, ISBN 978-3-89445-199-8 .
  • Uwe Meiners (Ed.): Corsets and nylon stockings - women's underwear as a mirror of fashion and society between 1890 and 1960. (= booklet accompanying the exhibition of the same name in the Jever Castle Museum from July 1, 1994 to January 15, 1995 / catalogs and publications of the Jever Castle Museum, Volume 10). Isensee, Oldenburg 1994, ISBN 978-3-89442-208-0 .
  • Mechthild Meyer-Schneidewind, Ilona Sauerbier: Stockings - fashion, market and marketing. Deutscher Fachverlag, Frankfurt am Main 1992, ISBN 3-87150-382-7 .
  • Eva Rommerskirchen (ed.): Artificial temptation: Nylon - Perlon - Dederon. (= Book accompanying the exhibition of the same name in the House of History in Bonn from April 23 to August 22, 1999). Wieland, Cologne 1999, ISBN 978-3-87909-640-4 .

Web links

Wiktionary: nylon stocking  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Nylon Stockings  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Roland Keitsch: Nylons - The most beautiful nothing in the world. In: Bild am Sonntag. 66th Year, No. 50, December 15, 2019, pp. 22-23.
  2. ↑ Emily Spivack: Stocking Series, Part 1: Wartime Rationing and Nylon Riots. In: Smithsonianmag.com. September 4, 2012, accessed December 15, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Nylons - the myth of beauty, eroticism and prosperity. In: Spiegel TV. Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Myth nylon - a touch of seduction. In: Shoez.biz. September 3, 2013, accessed June 21, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Artificial temptation: Nylon - Perlon - Dederon. In: hdg.de. Retrieved June 20, 2018 .