1940s Stockings: Hosiery, Nylons, and Socks History

Before the 1940s, women would not leave the house without wearing a pair of silk stockings. In fact, it wasn’t considered appropriate to be bare-legged in public whatsoever unless you were at the beach. WWII shortages combined with the invention of new materials changed the way women purchased 1940s stockings. Stockings, also called Hose, came up to mid-thigh and had to be held up with garters attached to corsets or girdles. A garter belt could also be worn to hold them up.

Before the late ’30s, fabrics weren’t elasticized, so they weren’t very stretchy. Hose were woven into the silhouette of a leg, a process called Fully Fashioned, or on tubular knitters (less common). Sizes were determined by the foot size, with plus size (called outsize) stockings available in wider leg fits too.

1947- Rare Seamless Stockings

Once Rayon and Nylon were invented, stockings began to be made from these instead. They looked like silk stockings but without a heavy shine. They were touted as a “new product which will give women sheer, ringless hosiery that will not wrinkle, run or wear out.” While not entirely snag-proof, they did snag less and run less, meaning they would hold up longer than silk, depending on the thickness and type of weave. 1940s hosiery were sheer and nude colored but darker than the skin, and had seams up the backs where fully fashioned styles were sewn together. Seamless stockings came about in the late 1940s but never fully took off in fashion till the 1960s.

Stockings had reinforced toes and heels with a Cuban heel design on most. Cuban heels were a square edge block of darker reinforced knit that could be seen above the shoe heel. While certainly fashionable, they were mostly a practical design.

1941 Plus Size Nylons by Lane Bryant

1940s Hose History

Sign reads “Uncle Sam needs your discarded silk and nylon stockings for the gun powder boys. Please launder and leave here.” Notice the woman wearing socks instead of hose.

During the war, any available silk, nylon, and sometimes Rayon were needed to make parachutes, tents and other fine materials. Women were asked to donate their used stockings to the war effort. Once word got out that there might be a shortage of Silk and Nylon stockings, women flooded the stores, buying up all they could and thus creating a drastic inflation of pricing. Once the war board stepped in to regulate production and cap prices, demand settled down, but they generally were still too expensive for women to afford to replace often.

1940s stockings became a precious commodity. They snagged and tore easily, and it was hard to keep a pair around for a long time. Women had to conserve their stockings for very special occasions, and fought over any that might be available for purchase. Most of the time, they had no choice but to go bare-legged. Women didn’t like this.

To wear stockings, especially with seams, was just part of their wardrobe. During the war, however, Sundays were often the only days women wore their stockings. The government went so far as to ask churches to tell women it was alright to attend without stockings.

Drawing on Nylon seams with the help of a friend

To get the 1940s nylon look without hose, women began to stain their legs with brown household items like gravy browning, coffee, and cocoa powder to give the appearance of stockings. Soon enough leg cosmetics were developed that stained the legs a tan color – sort of the first self-tanners. The first versions stained dresses and ran off in the rain. Newer versions were better, and came in liquid, cream or powder that was mixed with water. Several different shades were usually offered to complement different skin tones.

1940s “Leg Makeup”

All of the makeup companies, such as Max Factor and Elizabeth Arden, got on board. Some women took it a step further and drew a ‘seam’ on the backs of their legs with brown or black eyebrow or eyeliner pencil, often enlisting the help of a friend to get it straight. After the war, Nylon stockings returned and women went right back to wearing them. DuPont announced immediately after the war that Nylons would be made again for the public. They had some production issues and underestimated demand, so for over a year crowds mobbed stores, creating “nylon riots” every time a shipment came in.

1943 drawing on seams

Types of 1940s Stockings

Service or work wear Rayon stockings

There was little variety in stockings in the 1940s. The differences were in the minute details. Silk, Nylon, Rayon, Cotton and Wool were the main types of materials. With Silk and Nylon being in short supply, most women chose Rayon or Cotton stockings. Rayon could be high shine like silk, or low shine like cotton. It breathed well and held up nicely against wear. Its one drawback was that it lacked any stretch, making the perfect fit harder to achieve. (I once bought a pair of vintage fully fashioned stockings, and with my small foot but wide calf, they were horribly uncomfortable. They bunched and ripped on the first wear. Thank goodness for modern improvements to hosiery since the 1940s!)

1944 Light Mesh Stockings

There were three main types of textures 1940s stockings came in.

Smooth– most stockings are knit smooth with some sheerness.
Mesh- small holes make stockings breath easier and were ideal for work or sports wear.
Novelty mesh– are unique patterns knit into a stocking for fashion aesthetics only.

The weight, gauge, or thread count of stockings also contributed to texture. For the day or workwear, a heavy knit cotton or wool stocking (similar to tights stoday) was the most practical. Heavy “sport” knit stockings were plain or fancy designs of rib stripes or zig zags. Office work and afternoon wear could be a medium gauge smooth Rayon stocking, while evening and special occasion wear preferred sheer, almost see through, knits. Stocking sizing came in foot size and three lengths- 28, 30 and 32 inches.

1949 DuPont Nylons

1940s hosiery colors were limited to a few shades of a “natural” skin tones, black, and white. Natural colors were called “Beige” for your everyday wear,”Suntones” for a summer sunkissed golden tan, and a “Taupe” that was darker than most white skin tones and often blended with grey threads for special occasions. Darker colors made legs look thinner. White stockings were mostly worn by children, teens, women dressing for weddings, with spring pastel colors, and for certain work uniforms (nurses). African-American, Carribean, and Latina women whose skin tones were richer than Taupe had the choice to wear any color of stocking they liked. Women could be seen in black stockings, tan stockings, or white stockings that complimented a white or pastel dress. Matching skin tone was not as important as it was for white women.

1944 Ladies in various stockings hues attening a party at the Sandpoint Naval Air Station

1944 African-American Ladies in Various Stockings Hues

1940, three ladies going to take their cosmetology exams in dark to light stockings.

Read about 1950s women’s stockings next.

Wearing 1940s Stockings

To get your seams straight, roll your stockings down, then pull on your stockings from the front and back, guiding the seam with your right thumb. Most women pull stockings on from the sides, but this will only make getting the seams straight more difficult.

Care for stockings:

Put lotion on the rough spots of your heels and feet at night so they won’t snag your hose.
Wash by hand in mild soap, rinsing twice, and rolling in a towel and laying flat to dry.
Repair by mending.

Buying vintage stockings today gives you more options than in the 1940s. Most women don’t bother to go through the authenticity route of buying fully fashioned, seamed stockings, in Silk or Rayon. They are hard to find, and frankly, just don’t fit as comfortably as modern-does-vintage stretch stockings. It also doesn’t make too much sense to wear thigh high stockings vs pantyhose when no one will see your thighs under a skirt or dress anyways. However authentic you decide, here are some places to look for 1940s style seamed stockings:

Pamela Mann Jive Seam Stockings (Get Nude/Nude for a 40s look)

Retro Seamed stockings – My collection of online sources selling vintage style seamed stockings. I do not recommend black seamed stockings or fancy heel and seam designs- those were not worn until the very late 1940s and were seen more so in the 1950s. Instead, choose a nude skin tone with a nude or tan backseam.
UKtights – (ships to UK and USA) Carries brands Pamela Mann, Cervin, Pretty Polly and Jonathan Aston. The Pamela Mann Jive Seam nude/nude seamed stockings are my all time favorite pair for ’20s to ’40s fashion. They sell out fast so grab ’em whenever you see them in stock.
What Katie Did (UK) and Secrets in Lace (USA) – Both have mostly ’50s style stockings with black backseams. They sometimes have nude back seams in a range of skin colors.
Amazon has a handful of cheap stockings and tights. The Berkshire tonal tights with nude backseam are a best seller. While tights or pantyhose were not worn in the 1940s, they certainly make life easier today.
Wolford Velvet tights – Nice and cozy for winter warmth, but don’t have back seams.

Know of other sources? I am always on the lookout. Tell me where you find 1940s style nude seamed stockings in the comments.

Scroll down to read about 1940s socks.

Shop 1940s Style Stockings:

Keeping reading about 1940s socks below.

1940s Women’s Socks

Saddle Shoes and White Anklet Socks

Socks were not often worn by women before 1940, but white ankle socks were very popular with teenage girls. They were worn with saddle shoes or penny loafers. Colorful socks were an option for both children and women once the war started. They either had a snug knit band at the top or folded over once for a clean and classy vintage fit. Popular colors were red, white and blue, as well as yellow, beige, light blue, stripes, geometric and argyle prints. A few fancy socks had small flowers knit into the design that resembled embroidery. For the most part, socks were practical and not a fashion accessory. During wartime, women conserved their stockings and instead wore ankle socks made of cotton to match their dress. After the war, they returned to stockings and only wore socks for sports and casual dress.

Colorful 1940s Women’s Socks (1947)

1944 teen’s socks

Socks for girls and women

1940s knee high socks worn with flat shoes.

For young women attending college, ankle socks would not be fashionable enough. Instead, tall over-the-calf socks with fold-down tops were in vogue. The tops often featured Nordic designs during winter and flowers in summer. These would be worn just below the knee, usually with the cuff folded back. Many socks were home knitted during this time, with wool yarns being a popular choice.