Stockings

[ErinM]

I have a question. I wear Haines stockings...costs me in the area of $6.00.
Are the more expensive stockings better and last longer? Have noticed some are in the $20.00 range. Erin

[Kendra Lynn]

Erin: I only wear tights; thin stockings just don't work for me. the last pair of tights I purchased cost between $10 and $15 If I remember correctly.
If I've done a really good shaving job, some times I can get away with knee high, thigh high, or calf high socks.
Peace-- Kendra Lynn ("hippie cheerleader").

[CJ]

Hi Erin,

Here's the scoop: yes, stockings vary widely in price and quality. Look at the photos above. This is the cost:

A. $55
B. $40
C. $30
D. $7

Here's a breakdown:

Photo A

These stockings are expensive because they're made entirely of silk. Now, silk is a heavier fabric than nylon so they cannot be as sheer as nylon stockings. On the other hand, although still fairly delicate, they're much sturdier than nylon stockings. Because they're made of silk, these stockings give a much more pronounced shine to your legs; they look like they wrap your legs in light. Because silk isn't a fabric with much "give," silk stockings don't stretch much; they hug your legs and thighs pretty tightly, a little bit like FF stockings (see below).

Photo B

These are referred to as "fully fashioned" stockings (often abbreviated FF). They call them "fully fashioned" because the stockings are fashioned, or shaped, like a leg during the manufacturing process. They're sewn flat (as opposed to around a tube, like stretchy nylon hose) and then "boarded," meaning they're fitted on a leg form and then submitted to heat in order to "set" the shape. These kinds of stockings, like the silk ones above, have very little "give" to them; they hug your legs tightly. They do this, again, because they're fashioned that way: rather than varying the tensile strength of the nylon mesh (as is done for stretchy stockings), manufacturers of FF stockings vary the quantity of fabric on a given stocking according to where the fit is to be had. More fabric in the upper thigh and the calf; less fabric at the ankle and the knee. By the way, the more dense are the filaments that make up the nylon mesh, the less sheer a stocking is (measured in deniers: 10 denier stockings are very sheer, 20 deniers less so, etc.)

Two common features of FF stockings are that you'll find a "finishing hole" in the welt (the dark band at the top of the stocking) and that they usually have a reinforced heel and toe (often abbreviated RHT). Don't be fooled by the seam; even cheap, run-of-the-mill stretchy stockings can have a seam. A sure sign that you have a pair of FF stockings on your hands (or legs, I guess) is that the welt is "folded over" (the seamstress uses the finishing hole to do this): the welt looks "doubled" instead of being just a darker shade of nylon or being an increase in the thickness of the mesh. When you put your thumb on the outside of the welt and your index on the inside of it and rub your two fingers together, it should feel as though you're rubbing two different stockings together.

You'll notice that the stockings in photo A don't have a RHT, whereas the ones in photos B, C, and D do. Again, silk is pretty strong so there's no real need (aside, perhaps, from an esthetic one) to have a RHT. Having said this, there's a huge difference between the stockings in B and the stockings in D (and, again, this is reflected in the price); the stockings in B ar fully fashioned with a reinforced heel and toe, whereas, clearly, the ones in D aren't. The stockings in photo D have no doubled welt, no finishing hole, and, despite the darker heel, no RHT. The darker heel is there just for esthetic reasons. You can tell, just by looking at the photo, that these are stretchy, basically one size fits all (yeah, right!) stockings.

A word on the shape of reinforced heels

There are four types of reinforced heels: Cuban, Havana, French, and Manhattan. You're likely to come across Cuban and French heels much more often than the other two. In the photo below, the three pairs of stockings on the left are Cuban-heeled, the two on the right, French-heeled (called, variously, "French," "French Point," or, simply "Point" heels). The difference between Cuban and French heels is obvious: in the Cuban heel, the reinforcement is "squared" whereas, in the French heel, the reinforcement tapers up into the seam. In Havana-heeled stockings (not pictured), the reinforcement is broader and somewhat more squat. In Manhattan heels (also not pictured), the reinforcement is "doubled" or "outlined" (in order to suggest or represent skyscrapers). By the way, as you probably already know, even pantyhose and tights can have Cuban or French heels.



Well, there you have it, Erin. I hope this helps some. The basics, again: quality stockings don't stretch much, they're fully fashioned (FF), they have a reinforced heel and toe (RHT), they have a finishing hole and a doubled welt. Everything else is dime-store stuff.

Love,
CJ

[ErinM]

Thank You CJ. I do like the feel of a stocking hugging my legs. I guess
I should have a better pair once in a while. Also I have noticed the Haines and some of the other stockings I have been buying have a rubber like material in the stocking tops so they will stay on your legs without a garter belt. Is this also true with the better stocking or do you need a garter belt. By the way I dont mind a garter

[Caith]

Anytime someone wants real stockings, I recommend the National catalog company, online at http://www.shopnational.com/dept.cfm/wcma/40
Quality merchandise at fair prices, and highly regarded by stocking lovers for years. Enjoy...

[CJ]

Hi all,

Yeah, Erin, what you've got there are called "Stay-Ups": these kinds of stokings have an elasticized welt with a rubber strip woven into it. In theory, this only works if you have no hair on your thighs. You normally don't need a garter belt for these types of stockings. For the "real" ones in the photos above, you do, indeed, need garter tabs to hold them up (either a garter belt or a gartered girdle).

Caith,

I've never been to this web site. I'll have to give it a look. Thanks for the link.

Love,
CJ

[Ann Stef]

Haynes silk reflections silky stockings, sandlefoot are the strongest against runs, but also less sheer. They require garters and are $6.99 for thre pair. Worth a try, I use them with a garter girdle.

[Janet Bern]

I think that the more expensive the stockings are the less durable they are. So the cheaper ones wear like iron. Janet

[Phylis Anne]

as far as i can tell ,i have been wearing leggs panty hose for many years and to try to keep a pair for a long time depends on two factors.the first one is make sure your toe nails are not sharp every one should have a pedicure either at home or at a nail salon.for those at home make sure that you always keep them trimmed and always polish them either with clear or colored to your taste.next always do your finger nails as you use your hands to roll up your stockings and we all know what happens when a pair of hands with callouses can do to a pair of stockings and it wont matter if they cost 1.00$ or 30.00$.so always make sure your finger and toe nails are always trimmed and polished and your stockings will always slide on and off without and runs in them .love phylisanne

[Frances Jewell]

Phylis, is so right you have to watch the nails. Also be sure that you get the right size. They may be stretchy, but not infinite. There is nothing worse than trying to pull on a pair of pantyhose only to have picked out the wrong size and watch a run quickly appear because they are to short or tight to pull all the way up.

Fran

[Lilly]

Hi all,
I know what you are talking about, My wife and I were at a rummage sale last summer and I thought that I found the bargan of a lifetime, A dozen paires of Hanes pantyhose XL for only 25 cents a pair. Only to find that they were TOO SMALL!!!!!!!!!!. anyone need some ?
Huggs Lilly

[Hailey]

I love the feel of the garter under my clothes personally, but due to cost, I've come to like the Leggs Sheer Energy Thigh Highs. They are very sheer, and are pretty durable. I wore them under my work uniform in the past. they tend to slowly slip down a little, but for me, I enjoyed having to excuse myself for awhile to pull them back up into proper "Ladylike" location. My problem is that I seek a certain "FEEL" in my hose and lingerie. I also prefer to wear Control Top pantyhose strickly for the feel.