A Glimpse of Stocking (Montgomery Ward, Fall & Winter 1929-20)

 Victorian and Edwardian women's stockings could be surprisingly decorative, but they were not for public display.   In the 1920s, however, skirts became very much shorter, and legs (and the stockings covering them) became a focal point.  How did this change things?  I'm going to take a look at the stockings advertised in a Montgomery Ward catalogue from 1929 to find out. 

The first thing I noticed was that the stockings on offer were plainer and less colourful than their 19th century counterparts.  Victorian women could wear stripes, checks and embroidery under their petticoats.  The modern woman of 1929 was offered a subdued palette including black, "tansan" (dark tan), nude (light tan), pearl blush, gunmetal and medium gray.  Clearly the wearer's legs were the focus, rather than her stockings!

Still lower prices for the Golden Crest full fashioned stockings that were such a sensation last season!  Choice of clear, sheer chiffon or service weight  silk—both in the new narrow French heels or slender pointed heels that make ankles so chic—so charming.  The chiffon are dainty, sheer silk from top to toe with cleverly reinforced silk covered foot to give extra wear and elasticity; fine lisle strengthens the inner surface at points of wear.  The service weight is strong, highly elastic silk well over the knee to the serviceable hem of fine-knit mercerized lisle.  Slipper soles, toes and heels are same fine lisle.

At $1.35 these were among the more expensive pairs of stockings available in the catalogue.  Less expensive (and possibly sturdier?) options included All Wool stockings at $1.00, Pure Silk and Wool also for $1.00, Pure Wool and Lustrous Rayon at 79￠the pair, Part Wool with Rayon for 59￠, Rayon Plaited Over Lisle for 49￠and 4 Pairs Knit-to-Fit Combed Cotton for $1.00.  A really budget conscious woman could order 6 pairs of Everyday Cottons for a mere 60 cents!

History books tell us that rayon, the wonder fibre of the decade, made cheap glamour available to ordinary women for the first time in the 1920s.   However, the advertisements in this catalogue tell us that real silk, as opposed to its artificial imitation, was preferred at the luxury end of the market.  Natural fibres were also preferred at the lower end of the market, with cheap stockings being made from cotton.  The more cotton in the stockings, the lower the price.

The text accompanying the illustration gives us some more clues as to how these stockings were constructed.  "Full fashioned" (fully fashioned) stockings were shaped as they were knitted, making them fit the wearer's legs more closely.   They had seams down the back (as shown in the smaller illustrations accompanying the main advertisement).  Keeping one's seams straight was an important part of being well groomed right through to the 1950s!   The stockings are reinforced at the tops (where they were fastened) and at the heels, where they got most wear.  Making a virtue of necessity, manufacturers turned the reinforced heels into decorations.  An elegant heel could make a wearer's ankles look more slender and more shapely.

Lastly, cheap or expensive, women needed something to hold their stockings up, so I'm going to leave you with a picture of two garter belts for sale in the same catalogue.