Let’s talk about Stockings….

Villa D’este Lake Como Italy 1975 Helmut Newton

In modern usage, ‘stocking’ specifically refers to the form of women’s hosiery configured as two pieces, one for each leg (except for American and Australian English, where the term can also be a synonym for pantyhose). The term hold-ups and thigh-highs refers to stockings that stay up by the use of built-in elastic, while the word stockings is the general term or refers to the kind of stockings that need a suspender belt (garter belt, in American English), and are quite distinct from tights or pantyhose (American English).

Other terms used with stockings include:

Types of Legwear:

• Hold-ups (British English) or Stay-ups: Stockings that are held up by sewn-in elasticized bands (quite often a wide lace top band). In the US they are called thigh-highs.
• Thigh-Highs: Stockings that end somewhere in the mid-thigh.
• Suspender belt (British English) or Garter belt (American English): a belt with straps to keep stockings (not hold-ups) on place: usually they have 4 straps, but may have also 6 or 8.
• Garters: Are the least common means of support. A garter is slipped over the top of the stocking to hold the stocking by essentially clamping it to the leg.
• Pantyhose: (called Tights in the United Kingdom and a few other countries) are sheer, close-fitting legwear covering the wearer’s body from the waist to the feet. In the United States – thicker pantyhose are called “tights”.

Type of Knit:

• Denier: The lower the denier number the more sheer the garment. Stockings knitted with a higher denier tend to be less sheer but more durable.
• Opaque: Stockings made of yarn which give them a heavier appearance. Usually 40 denier or greater.
• Sheers: Stockings generally of a 15 to 20 denier.
• Ultra sheer: A fine denier fiber which gives the greatest in sheerness. Usually 10 denier.
• Matte: Stockings which have a dull or non-lustre finish.
• Fishnet: Knitted stockings with a very wide open knit resembling fish scales, graphic and flattering.
• Fencenet: Similar to fishnets, but with a much wider pattern. These are sometimes worn over another pair of stockings or pantyhose, such as matte or opaque, with a contrasting colour. Sometimes referred to as whalenets.

Type of Fashioning:

• Full Fashioned: Fully fashioned stockings are knitted flat, the material is then cut and the two sides are then united by a seam up the back. Fully fashioned stockings were the most popular style until the 1960s.
• Seamed: Stockings manufactured in the old Full-Fashioned way with a seam running up the back of the leg. In the past they were manufactured by cutting the fabric and then sewing it together. Today stockings are generally fully knitted and a fake or mock seam is added up the back for a particular fashion look. Some brands also produce seamed hold-ups.
• Seamless: Stockings knit in one operation on circular machines (one continuous operation) so that no seaming is required up the back
• Mock seam: A false seam sewn into the back of a seamless stocking.
• Welt: A fabric knitted separately and machine-sewn to the top of a stocking. Knit in a heavier denier yarn and folded double to give strength for supporter fastening.

Type of Foot/Heel Fashioning:

• Demi-toe: Stockings which have a reinforced toe with half the coverage on top as on the bottom. This results in a reinforcement that covers only the tip of the toes as opposed to the whole toe. These can be with or without a reinforced heel..
• Open-toed: Stockings that stop at the base of the toe with a piece that goes between the first and second toes to hold them down. They can be worn with some open-toed shoes, especially to show off pedicured toes.
• Sandalfoot: Stockings with a nude toe, meaning no heavier yarn in the toe than is in the leg. They are conceived to be worn with sandal or open-toe shoes.
• Nude Heel: Stockings without reinforcement in the heel area.
• Point heel: in a Fully Fashioned stocking it is a heel in which the reinforced part ends in a triangle shape.
• Cuban heel: A stocking with a heel made with folded over and sewn reinforcement.
• RHT: Abbreviation of reinforced heel and toe.

Styling of Pantyhose (Tights):

• Control-top: pantyhose intended to boost a slimmer figure, has a reinforced panty. There may be visible panty lines when wearing high-cut skirts or shorts.
• Sheer-to-waist: Pantyhose that is sheer throughout, with the panty part being the same thickness and color as the leg part, and are designed for use with high-slit gowns, miniskirts, hot pants, or lingerie. Often sheer-to-waist pantyhose will be reinforced along and on either side of the seam in the middle of the panty.
• Open-crotch: sometimes known as crotchless pantyhose, do not have a gusset. Instead, there is an opening is in place for hygienic reasons or sexual-fetishism activities.

Stockings and Pantyhose in ALL forms are sexy — yes, even the control top (uhh, something like Bridget Jones Diary panties?). Whether you are wearing the Hold-ups, Crotchless or Seemed stockings— the hose will finish your look and make for an interesting opening process for your Sir or Madam.

BTW — all the different options allow dievca to offer more diversity for Master.
In the words of Martha Stewart: ‘It’s a good thing’. XO

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