posted on July 2, 2001 04:18:30 PM new
I came across about a dozen pairs of vintage stocking today. They are probably from the 20's to 40's. None are seamed, but some do have the reinforced heel and toe. Is that considered to be Cuban? All are new in packages. Are packages important in vintage stockings as they look a bit battered. Should I take pictures in or out of the package? I have some ideas of my own, but wanted to see if any of our experts had some advice to give. I'm thinking of Collectibles>Vintage Clothing,Accessories>Women>Lingerie,Stockings
posted on July 2, 2001 04:26:06 PM new
I have had some pretty good luck with vintage Nylons-- mostly they seem to go to France -- none of mine were seamed but all had heel and toe reinforced and were long -- that seems to be important -- I think it is a certain segment of the population that is interested in them -- list them in the package and show the package -- give a good description of the heel and toe and length especially - try to be accurate with the color -- ie - taupe , coffee , etc -- hope that is helpful ---dee
posted on July 2, 2001 07:11:51 PM new
I don't know if those stockings are as old as you think if they're seamless. My very first nylons, in the days before pantyhose, were seamless with reinforced toes and heels, and that was in 1965.
I remember my mother commenting on how lucky I was not to have to struggle with straightening seams, as she'd had to do in the 1940s and 1950s.
posted on July 2, 2001 09:21:13 PM new
LOL! I guess my age is showing. I suppose it's a matter of perspective as for me there has always been pantyhose. Thanks for letting me know. Would they have been worth 59 to 79 cents in 1965?
posted on July 2, 2001 11:57:58 PM new
If this will help. I have a box of Hanes seamless with reinforced heel and toe from 1979 and they were $2.25 a pr. Check the box that they are in and see if the address has a zip code. If not they probably are from the 50's. If they have one 60's
posted on July 4, 2001 07:10:18 AM new
Do your stockings have a fiber content
label? Do they have spandex or are they
100% nylon? The earlier stockings didn't
use spandex--they were 100% nylon.
Any brand name? They certainly could have
been that inexpensive. After all, Leggs &
Nononsense are still only $3 something a pair.
posted on July 4, 2001 07:41:45 AM new
I started wearing stockings ("nylons," we called them) around 1959, and the very first ones I bought had seams and reinforced heels and toes. They did have seamless stockings by then, but they were significantly more expensive and thus out of reach for a very young teen. Seams had just about disappeared within a year or two after that.
As somebody else mentioned, stockings were 100% nylon until the early 1960s or so. They came in sizes when I first started buying them, based not only on shoe size, but on length. Women preferred the longest sizes because skirts were starting to get short and otherwise your garters showed.
I doubt that your vintage stockings go back to the 1920s, when most hose were made of lisle (very non-sheer, thick, looked like support hose). I'd date them to the 1950s, since they are seamless (and virtually all stockings had seams before then).
posted on July 4, 2001 07:55:30 AM new
All commercially made stockings have seams until the mid 1950s. Nylon is introduced in 1938 at a preview of the New York World's Fair (thus the name NYlon - the NY stands for New York).
Previous to this they are made of silk or rayon. Seamless stockings caught on fairly quickly, by the very late 1950s they overtook seamed stockings in sales. The very tall ones are from the mid 1960s when the hem lines are rising. TO avoid seeing garters, the stockings are increased in length, in fact it was the mini skirt that killed stockings and was the catalyst for pantyhose to take over the market, simply for decency's sake.
So your stockings are mid 1960s, due to their lack of seam and long length.
Hope this helps
Thanks for letting me know. Would they have been worth 59 to 79 cents in 1965?