The other night at the Bomber Girl's Pageant, I was asked if we carried vintage style seamed stockings in the A-D shop. I had to tell the lovely girl no, but it got me thinking...maybe we should.
You'll all be excited to know that I've got several fine 20th century shoe styles planned for 2013, and we're even starting early, with the perfect 1920s t-strap spectators, "23Skidoo," which will be available on pre-order in about a week.
So why not some proper vintage stockings to go with them? I know seamed stockings are available online in plenty of places, but there is a difference between what's available now, and what was *actually* worn in the 1920s and 30s.
For one, stockings were silk or rayon, not nylon, which came into being in the late 1930s. They came in a variety of colors, but the seam up the back more typically matched the stocking color, rather than being black or red or some other risque choice.
Cuban heels were around, as well as Manhattan heels, double-point heels, French heels. These were to be found on
"fully-fashioned stockings," which are stockings that have lisle-reinforce heels and toes, no lycra or stretch, and, of course, need to be held up with garters.
These vintage styles are hard to come by, and apparently only a few manufacturers in the world make them. I'm determined to find out more about these, though, and perhaps carry them in the store, so when you order your 23Skidoos, your Gibsons, your Claremonts or Rosemonts, you can add a pair of perfectly period and proper stockings. :-)
