The Pantyhose Thread

[Luna Novem]

OK. Who remembers pantyhose? When I was a teen in the 90's, ladies were still wearing it. I remember being excited to be old enough to wear it. I especially liked black because it seemed so elegant. Why has it just disappeared? Does anyone here still wear it? I want to, sometimes, but I don't like being the odd one out or drawing attention to myself. But man, I miss those days!

 

[Kitty Tantrum]

I sometimes like how they look. I still see ladies wearing them occasionally, though not often.

But I can't really wear them, or anything like them - on any part of me. Synthetics make my skin feel weird and clammy even when it seem like it should be very breathable.

So maybe if I had the money to throw down on silk or rayon or wool or something. But they're so delicate, the repair/replacement cost would probably be more than I could stomach.

 

[Luna Novem]

I sometimes like how they look. I still see ladies wearing them occasionally, though not often.

But I can't really wear them, or anything like them - on any part of me. Synthetics make my skin feel weird and clammy even when it seem like it should be very breathable.

So maybe if I had the money to throw down on silk or rayon or wool or something. But they're so delicate, the repair/replacement cost would probably be more than I could stomach.

Oooh, silk! The fact that women wore silk stockings just fascinates me. Anne of Green Gables' daughter wears them in "Rilla of Ingleside".

 

[Kitty Tantrum]

Silk is delightful. I do splurge on silk undersocks, because those are small and relatively inexpensive, and remain fairly protected by the outer sock.

 

[Luna Novem]

Silk is delightful. I do splurge on silk undersocks, because those are small and relatively inexpensive, and remain fairly protected by the outer sock.

TIL "undersocks" are a thing.

 

[Roosh]

Wait, women don't wear pantyhose anymore?

 

[Owlet]

I still wear them, but I call them "tights". What else do you wear with a skirt? Wool on cold days, opaque for chilly days, and thin ones in warmer weather. None only when it is very hot.

 

[messaggera]

still wear them, but I call them "tights".

Wool and cotton tights were popular, and worn during office days. Tights and winter skirts were always warmer than slacks, even wool slacks at times.

Edit: @Veemerk when you use to go into the office what was your style, pantyhose or tights? Both?

 

[It_is_my_time]

I think this is a great subject that is just part of the bigger picture of the elites dragging our society down into the lowest form. Hosier/Stockings/Tights, whatever you want to call them are at the height of feminine classy dressing. Men don't wear them, much like heels, because they are very feminine and thus are very attractive to both men and women.

The only male comparison would be a nice fitting suit. It can make most any man look good, within reason. And men rarely wear suits these days as well and if they do they end up wearing them with jeans or some kind of "dress" tennis shoe.

I too couldn't wait to get out of college and dress nice and go into the office full of other nicely dressed people. By the time I hit the professional office, after college, it had mostly become business casual. Over time that changed to full on casual. Now almost everyone wears jeans and tennis shoes into the office. It looks so unprofessional to me. Like they had a day off and got called in at the last second and were going to leave ASAP the current emergency was fixed. I rarely ever wear jeans, I don't find them as comfortable as dress slacks and I don't think they look as good. There is a time and place for jeans and I am rarely in that time and place.

Compared to 30 years ago (1992, yikes!) I am sure our obese population has doubled, if not more so. We have more people who are depressed. We have no rules stating we must dress nicely, regardless of the function. I have seen the average American woman is 5'4" and weighs 170 lbs. That is catastrophic, and women of this build likely wouldn't be comfortable in anything other than very baggy clothes. Or they unfortunately wear yoga pants with flip flops and really make themselves look unattractive.

@Luna Novem I suggest you go ahead and wear pantyhose if they make you feel more comfortable/attractive/confident, etc. You will set a great example for the next generation of women. When you want to wear them but not stand out too much, go with nude. Most people would not be able to tell you are wearing them if you wear nude.

 

[Luna Novem]

Wait, women don't wear pantyhose anymore?

It's pretty rare in my experience. Thick tights, made of cotton? Yes. But legit pantyhose, under a dress or skirt? I haven't seen it in probably a decade and a half.

 

[Luna Novem]

@It_is_my_time Thanks for the input, friend!

 

[Luna Novem]

I still wear them, but I call them "tights". What else do you wear with a skirt? Wool on cold days, opaque for chilly days, and thin ones in warmer weather. None only when it is very hot.

All I ever see are bare legs with skirts (if it's warm enough).

Disclaimer: I do live in the Northwest. I've heard that it's more casual here than other areas of the country.

 

[Luna Novem]

Here's some food for thought on the matter: https://flashbak.com/the-disappearance-of-hosiery-10-reasons-legs-went-bare-20137/#:~:text=A function of hosiery (especially,hosiery became no longer necessary.

ETA: The comments almost teach more than the article!

 

[IconWriter]

I haven't worn them for years, and still have some in the drawer. I don't dress up anymore so what do women today wear when they dress for a special occasion? I can't imagine having bare feet in shoes. Ick! Sweat! Not to mention ankles or heels being rubbed raw by shoes. Hose make legs look lovely, sleek, hiding blemishes.

 

[Luna Novem]

I haven't worn them for years, and still have some in the drawer. I don't dress up anymore so what do women today wear when they dress for a special occasion? I can't imagine having bare feet in shoes. Ick! Sweat! Not to mention ankles or heels being rubbed raw by shoes. Hose make legs look lovely, sleek, hiding blemishes.

Honestly, whenever I've had a special occasion to go to in the last 13-ish years, I just wear dress sandals. All my special occasions have been in the summer, so it's worked.

 

[Denam8487]

During the wintertime my wife only ever wears tights with her dresses. It's such a classy and feminine look. Unless it's the spring or summertime, I don't think women should bare their legs in professional settings or Church (where ideally they would never do so.)

 

[Shedlight11]

OK. Who remembers pantyhose? When I was a teen in the 90's, ladies were still wearing it. I remember being excited to be old enough to wear it. I especially liked black because it seemed so elegant. Why has it just disappeared? Does anyone here still wear it? I want to, sometimes, but I don't like being the odd one out or drawing attention to myself. But man, I miss those days!

I think if worn correctly they can make an outfit look very classy. I love a classic black stocking! I still wear them every now and then, but to be honest this winter has been too cold in my area to wear anything but pants!

 

[Ah_Tibor]

I think they went by the wayside in the early 2000s. I remember reading a chick lit book that described it as "being rich enough to run from a heated car to indoors in the winter," or something. (Also the era of flip-flops everywhere)

I always wore them growing up and they were uncomfortable (static, runs, itchy). I was more into quirky tights/socks as a teenager, and I had some interesting hose (dots, seams, sheer colors etc) but I just wear sheer black nowadays. Anyway, in short-- yes I do, but not really into the nude/tan ones. I like patterns if they're subtle, and quality makes all the difference!

 

[Starlight]

I used to wear nylons quite a bit when I was younger and was into “dressing up” more with cute little skirts and dresses and that sort of thing. Nowadays, I don’t wear anything shorter than below my knee so I don’t see much point in wearing nylons. Also, I think “shape-wear” in general replaced a lot of the other, ahem, smoothing benefits of nylons and do a better job. Women also seem to just not wear dresses and skirts as much at all anymore. I mostly see jeans, leggings, or yoga pants.

Personally, I liked the look of nylons but never really liked wearing them. They were always uncomfortable in some way, either too loose at the waste and sliding down or too tight and pinching. Annoying if you had to use the bathroom. And don’t forget the static cling ugh… countless cans of hairspray used on stockings… lol

 

[Owlet]

Static cling happens only with dresses of synthetic materials, I think.