History of Nylon Stocking (1930s-1970s)

The Invention of Nylon

Dr Wallace Hume Carothers

By 1934 DuPont creates the first completely synthetic silk and is constantly refining the process to make the fibres stronger. The fibres are made completely from petrochemicals.DuPont has found and developed a robust enough fibre and nylon is born. Nylon is patented in 1935 and commercially introduced in 1938.

1930’s Fashion – The invention of Nylon Stockings

DuPont advert for Nylon, 1948 (source)

When DuPont Company did first test sale Nylon stocking to DuPont employees’ wife, 4,000 pairs of stockings were sold out. On May 16, 1940, officially known as “Nylon Day,” introduced to the national market. And four million pairs of brown nylons landed on department store shelves throughout the United States at about $1.15 per pair. Within two years of nylon’s introduction DuPont had captured an astonishing 30% of the full-fashioned hosiery market.

Nylon becomes commercially widely available in the USA in 1940. It is a great success. Nylon stockings become popular. It is used to produce toothbrush bristles, sewing and jewellery thread and underwear/sportswear.

Nylon riots

(1945)

In 1941, the United States entered World War II and DuPont Company had to shift their nylon production from the consumer market to the military market. So unfortunately, DuPont had to stop produced of nylon stocking so DuPont ceased production of nylon stocking.

When the war was over and rations were eased, nylon stockings returned to stores and sold quickly. In 1945, “nylon riots” ensued around the country when hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of women, queued up to try to snag a pair. The situation got out of hand in Pittsburgh when 40,000 people lined up for over a mile vying for 13,000 pairs.

“Everywhere the stockings appeared, newspapers reported on “nylon riots” in which hundreds, sometimes thousands, of women lined up to compete for a limited supply of hosiery.”

1940’s women’s war fashion: leg makeup

Women painted their own legs to replaces nylon hosiery; by painting their legs, the got illusion of hose. The cosmetic stockings, liquid stockings, bottled stockings and phantom hose were different kinds of cosmetics to give the appearance of stockings. When the Nylon stocking became very valuable and precious because of World War 2, some women began to paint their legs with nude color to give legs the appearance of a tan color.

There is a picture of advertising leg cosmetics called “stocking stick”. Stocking stick was one of newest versions of leg make up product. If you see the picture, it says “Best yet. Easiest to apply. Gives smoothest finish.”

When women tried to draw stocking seams, it was hard to draw a straight line. It took lots of practice had great hand skills to draw it. Sometimes they used different devices to get help draw a straight line. For example, they used screwdriver handle or bicycle leg clip. Women usually used black and brown eyeliner or eyebrow pencil to draw the seams. The purpose to draw a ‘seam’ was to look more realistic.