World War II Woman

Wartime stockings

In an earlier blog I mentioned lisle stockings. I soon learned that not everyone remembers lisle stockings. If you are old enough, you might remember wearing them or, at least, having seen them on your grandmother, as I do.

According to my dictionary, lisle is “1. A fine, smooth, tightly twisted thread spun from long-stapled cotton. 2. Fabric knitted of this thread used especially for hosiery and underwear.” My recollection is that the stockings were a kind of purple gray, which twisted and usually looked a little baggy. At any rate, that’s what some of our WAVES wore when first they entered the service. Later they were able to buy nylons at the Navy store.

For the average person nylon hose was difficult to purchase during the war, although rumors are that U.S. servicemen were able to secure them for use as bait for young women they wished to woo in foreign countries. By and large, rayon and silk stockings with a seam up the back were worn by most of us here in the States until 1940 when nylon stockings first appeared in department stores.

The availability of nylons for consumer use was short-lived due to the U.S. entry into the war when the federal government through the War Production Board took it off the market for defense needs. It was necessary for the manufacture of parachutes, tents, and tires. At that point, stocking of all kinds were in short supply. I can recall being at a local department store where a table was piled with women’s stockings surrounded by women three and four deep trying to grab a pair. Unfortunately, the pairs had become separated so women were then trying to match colors. It was a mess.

One solution used during the summer months was to apply a tan coloring agent to make your legs appear to be wearing stockings. Some women even drew a line up the back of their legs to make it really look like stockings. Of course, after the war, nylons were back in the stores, although the one-piece panty hose was not developed until the 1960’s.

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