The Pantyhose Thread

[Elspeth]

As someone in their 20's, today's generations (whether conservatively religious or secular), don't see hosiery the same that older generations do. While it might appear more feminine by default, they're now more associated with older folks (at least the nude ones) than femininity, per se. While many still use stockings for their outfits, myself included, femininity is expressed in the individual curation and pairing of pieces, rather than just a skirt or dress. Hair accessories (alligator clips, padded hairbands, hair-bows, etc.), handbags (heart-shaped bags are really hot this year), shoes (platforms of all kinds are still hot for the third year in a row), etc. can all add femininity to an outfit without making it look like a costume in contrast to what a lot of people generally wear these days, which is more androgynous. Really, the bottom line is that what is defined as "feminine" and "masculine" is now changing from specifics pieces, to overall looks. However, one day, when I'm older, future generations will look back and think differently when it comes to what's "feminine" and "masculine". Tis the nature of game, is all. I would not be shocked if nude hosiery came back and every young woman was wearing it, haha.

Not everyone's taste, but here are some looks that I actually wear right now:

 

[Causanostraelaetitiae]

I love pantyhoses. I´ve never worn skirts or dresses without them. I don´t like the leggins or anything made out of thicker materials or anything opaque really. As to why women don´t really wear them anymore, well they don´t really wear dresses anymore either, right? Everytime I wear a dress I get weird looks or people unironically stating that they´ve never seen a woman in a dress in this place before.

 

[get2choppaaa]

My wears them especially if s skirt is around knee level. I personally find them to be commentary to a nice female physique. It's absolutely lost on a majority of young women based off observation...which is quite sad.

There is this retarded notion that more skin is better where in reality, it's quite the opposite.

 

[It_is_my_time]

My wears them especially if s skirt is around knee level. I personally find them to be commentary to a nice female physique. It's absolutely lost on a majority of young women based off observation...which is quite sad.

There is this retarded notion that more skin is better where in reality, it's quite the opposite.

This is so true. I think most men would agree. The less skin often equals the more attractive. Obviously in summer heat this isn't going to work. But in normal weather on down to cold weather, the less skin I see, the more attracted I am. Except when it comes to pants on women, those often don't look all that attractive. The fact the "fashion" industry now has 25 year old women wearing mom jeans is pretty telling of how "fashion" seems to be just another way the elites try to make us less appealing to each other.

There is one lady I have known for a long time and she is probably about 10 years older than me. Life of the party, always having fun Hispanic lady. Just a joy to be around. One day I saw her on a date and she was dressed to the nines. She had on matching outfit, mixing in beige and cream. I don't remember what the color of each piece was, but it all matched very nicely. The coat, the scarf, the leather gloves, then underneath was a matching dress, heels and pantyhose. She just looked stunning. I've known this lady for a long time and I never compliment ladies on how they dress so they are not uncomfortable but also because I am not in a place where I can start a relationship and I don't want to lead anyone on. But I couldn't help it. When I saw her by herself I told her "that outfit, the entire thing down to the gloves, you are rocking it and I bet your date thinks the same thing". She had the biggest smile on her face and quickly gave me a hug before I got out of there and her date was back. I just had to let her know how good she looked. Thinking back on it, it might be the only time I have gone out of my way to do it and I certainly didn't do it to get her phone number or anything sinister like that. It was just an honest observation I had to get off my chest and I hope it helped her with her evening plans by giving her more confidence.

Watching other men's reactions to women dressed like that, I think many men would agree. And it isn't perversion thing, it is a "wow, she really looks good and has a lot of respect for herself, what must I do to have a woman in my life like that" type of thing.

 

[Denam8487]

And it isn't perversion thing, it is a "wow, she really looks good and has a lot of respect for herself, what must I do to have a woman in my life like that" type of thing.

Which is why I think women are more attractive in flowy dresses, scarves and sweaters rather than tight spaghetti strap dresses that don't even go down to the knee. The former shows a respect for the body while the latter is designed to call attention to the skin. Like you said, it's not a sexual thing, it's just more of an appreciation of the modesty and femininity that men naturally find appealing.

It's why Kate Middleton was always more appealing than the masculine and rebellious Meghan Markle who wanted to challenge the dress code (baring her legs and shoulders) and other norms that were expected of a duchess. And naturally the former always looks the part of the doting mother and wife while the latter is a total yass queen who wears the pants in her marriage and dictates how many children they're allowed to have.

 

[It_is_my_time]

Which is why I think women are more attractive in flowy dresses, scarves and sweaters rather than tight spaghetti strap dresses that don't even go down to the knee. The former shows a respect for the body while the latter is designed to call attention to the skin. Like you said, it's not a sexual thing, it's just more of an appreciation of the modesty and femininity that men naturally find appealing.

It's why Kate Middleton was always more appealing than the masculine and rebellious Meghan Markle who wanted to challenge the dress code (baring her legs and shoulders) and other norms that were expected of a duchess. And naturally the former always looks the part of the doting mother and wife while the latter is a total yass queen who wears the pants in her marriage and dictates how many children they're allowed to have.

I think for a lot of men, I know so for me, Kate Middleton is the ideal feminine form And much of that is how she dresses and carries herself. Great post!

 

[PVW]

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!

What makes you think they have disappeared? There are plenty of women who still wear them. And even if no one else around you is wearing them but you, why feel self conscious? You are adhering to standards. If you believe pantyhouse are elegant, wear them.

If it's summer time and I'm wearing sandals, I'm not likely to wear them. But otherwise, I wear them.

 

[FutureCatLady]

Where I live women don’t really wear nylons anymore and it’s a real shame because most women (myself included) should and desperately need to. Most women’s bare legs are just plain ugly. But to bring up a point brought up earlier no one really dresses up anymore so it’s no surprise and it’s especially worse in the South…

 

[FutureCatLady]

But to answer the question I still wear nylons. I was raised by women who wore nylons and the rule of thumb was if you are showing your legs then you wear nylons! The exception being casual wear like shorts and sundresses. I don’t care if they are out of style or “old lady ish” they make my legs look better and they complete an outfit. Try a pair and you will see what I mean!

 

[Thomas More]

At some point my wife switched from pantyhose to knee high nylons. However, she still wore some form of nylons with certain types of shoes.

She did have a full body stocking as well, which was nice!

 

[Maddox]

...The fact the "fashion" industry now has 25 year old women wearing mom jeans is pretty telling of how "fashion" seems to be just another way the elites try to make us less appealing to each other.

Good to see I'm not the only one on here who noticed that. I've been wondering for quite a while now why high-crotch mom jeans are still being pushed in the stores when they are so obviously hideous on a woman.

Most fashion designers these days must be gay guys and ugly feminists with axes to grind. I mean how else can you explain why such clothes are being marketed to women.

Also, those manly gym shorts that I see women wearing these days...WTH? Ditto for the athletic shoes which resemble what men over 50 wear to the gym. What happened to Keds and plain white tennis shoes? Ladies look so much better in those.

The sudden decline of pantyhose was one of the first attacks on feminity back in the 00's. I don't believe that it's a generational thing that females no longer wear them. Women buy what the stores are pushing. If pantyhose were still being pushed in stores, women would buy them if they thought it was the trendy thing to wear.

Surely, girls know that they make their legs look better. The only reason they don't wear them is that they don't want to look like they don't have any fashion sense. Sure, they might not be comfortable to some, but so are high heels and that doesn't stop women from wearing those...just as long as other women are still wearing them too.

 

[Elspeth]

Good to see I'm not the only one on here who noticed that. I've been wondering for quite a while now why high-crotch mom jeans are still being pushed in the stores when they are so obviously hideous on a woman.

Most fashion designers these days must be gay guys and ugly feminists with axes to grind. I mean how else can you explain why such clothes are being marketed to women.

Also, those manly gym shorts that I see women wearing these days...WTH? Ditto for the athletic shoes which resemble what men over 50 wear to the gym. What happened to Keds and plain white tennis shoes? Ladies look so much better in those.

The sudden decline of pantyhose was one of the first attacks on feminity back in the 00's. I don't believe that it's a generational thing that females no longer wear them. Women buy what the stores are pushing. If pantyhose were still being pushed in stores, women would buy them if they thought it was the trendy thing to wear.

Surely, girls know that they make their legs look better. The only reason they don't wear them is that they don't want to look like they don't have any fashion sense. Sure, they might not be comfortable to some, but so are high heels and that doesn't stop women from wearing those...just as long as other women are still wearing them too.

Stores don't push anything that they think won't sell. Stores react to trends that are set by the youth, and have been since the 1960s. While pantyhose are not common for women my age to wear, that doesn't mean that someone can't wear what they like regardless if it is fashionable or not, and it doesn't mean that what they like doesn't look good on them either. Everyone has a different body, and some styles suit some people, where others don't. I feel like that isn't said often enough, that women can dress however they like, regardless of what's popular or what other's think. Similar to how femininity is manifested in an overall look, and not necessarily individual pieces, there is no "one size" that fits all when it comes to how a clothing item will look on someone -- whether that's a certain style of jeans or pantyhose.

 

[Denam8487]

The sudden decline of pantyhose was one of the first attacks on feminity back in the 00's

Sadly, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton (two of the least feminine women I can think of) popularized the bare leg and pantsuit look for women in the 00s.

As someone who went through law school in the early 10s, I can remember how most of my female classmates opted to go bare legged or (even worse) wear pant suits when it came to being in court or attending formal events.

I also remember several female classmates throwing fits if they were told they had to wear hosiery to court. Bear in mind that us guys were sweating our butts off wearing full suits and ties in 90+ degree Maryland weather during the summer while some of the girls would wear spaghetti strap dresses and flip flops.

The whole issue may seem trite but slowly but surely you see masculine women and effeminate men wearing nearly identical fitted pant suits.

 

[Maddox]

Stores don't push anything that they think won't sell. Stores react to trends that are set by the youth, and have been since the 1960s.

Yes, stores push what they think will sell. But the original design comes from fashion designers. They decide what styles they want women to wear.

 

[IconWriter]

So I will say that I love wearing modest skirts down to the calf (to church) so that I can wear knee highs that are patterned and colorful. (I love wild socks.) So imagine an almost elderly matushka, wearing a long dark skirt and headscarf with these colorful knee-highs. One Sunday some younger guys said to me they thought that I had my legs tattooed! LOLOLOL!

 

[Elspeth]

Yes, stores push what they think will sell. But the original design comes from fashion designers. They decide what styles they want women to wear.

It seems like you're a straight, masculine man, so I don't think anyone would expect you to know about how fashion becomes fashion. However, if you're curious, I think this article explains it pretty well: https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.c...s now start and,fashion capitals of the world.

 

[Elspeth]

Yes, stores push what they think will sell. But the original design comes from fashion designers. They decide what styles they want women to wear.

It seems like you're a straight, masculine man, so I don't think anyone would expect you to know about how fashion becomes fashion. However, if you're curious, I think this article explains it pretty well: https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.c...s now start and,fashion capitals of the world.

 

[Layla78]

I guess I'm an exception here as I don't like tights. This comes from wearing them as part of school uniforms for 12 years' worth of winters. They constantly get runs in them and you are constantly having to readjust them (perhaps if garters were still common that would work better, I don't know). I guess for this reason I also associate black coloured tights with children.

And then for a large part of the year, it's far too hot to wear them where I live. I love the Kate Middleton look, or the mid to long skirt plus heels look, but you would be sweating like crazy if you tried to wear tights with it here.

I think for many women, fake tan has actually replaced pantyhose as the method to make their legs appear more toned and slim, and hide blemishes. There are also celebrities who sell body makeup for the same purpose.

 

[Arby]

It seems like you're a straight, masculine man, so I don't think anyone would expect you to know about how fashion becomes fashion. However, if you're curious, I think this article explains it pretty well: https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/womens-fashion-history/how-do-fashion-trends-start#:~:text=Fashion trends now start and,fashion capitals of the world.

In that article, 4/5 ways for fashion trends to get started are "top down", created by people telling women what they should want to wear, only one is a trend set by what actual people wear in real life. So I'd say his statement, while incomplete, is more correct than to say that young women decide on trends themselves and stores just follow that.

 

[Veemerk]

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.

I

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?

i wore black opaque tights with skirts or dresses everyday. Panty house is too thin and I’d be left with runs down my legs at the end of the day.
Agree with you that tights and winter skirts were warmer than pants. Also sitting allllll day in pants could get very uncomfortable.