--- title: Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple description: Classic photos that capture stockings' allure, and the quite evident reasons for the fashion staple's central place in the style canon canonical: https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-30T16:45:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:48.116Z og:title: Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple og:description: Classic photos that capture stockings' allure, and the quite evident reasons for the fashion staple's central place in the style canon og:url: https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf2724639bae4857/6987624dcd6848be2109742f/141022-nylon-anniversary-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 75 Years of Nylon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple twitter:description: Classic photos that capture stockings' allure, and the quite evident reasons for the fashion staple's central place in the style canon twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf2724639bae4857/6987624dcd6848be2109742f/141022-nylon-anniversary-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # In Praise of Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 30, 2014 4:45 PM UTC  Nylon stockings, 1945. Nylon stockings, 1945.Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 30, 2014 4:45 PM UTC The invention of nylon in the mid-1930s by the geniuses at DuPont, and the first commercial sale of nylon stockings in late October 1939, are landmarks in fashion history that anyone with a modicum of reverence for the timeline of chic would do well to note. Perhaps with a moment of silence. Or the gentle rustling of stockinged leg against stockinged leg. [\[See TIME.com’s “The War That Shaped Women’s Legs”\]](https://time.com/3534564/nylon-stockings/) Here, LIFE.com pays tribute to nylon stockings — and hosiery in general — with a series of classic photos that capture something of the fashion staple’s allure, and the quite evident reasons for the stocking’s central place in the style canon. [\[See all of LIFE’s galleries\]](http://time.com/photography/life/) Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at [@LizabethRonk](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk).  Woman inspecting her nylon stockings, 1942. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A model wearing "hotsies," wool-lined silk faille girdle and bra, 1942. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Stockings, 1943. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  "Curtain" stockings, 1943. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Nylon stockings, 1945. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Model wearing black stockings, fitted dress coat, fur trimmed hat and fur muff, adjusting garter, 1946. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Model with stockings, 1948. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Lace stockings with panels that run to mid-calf and enhance slim ankles," 1948. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  From "Best-Selling Christmas Gifts," 1948. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Chorus girl Linda Lombard, resting her legs after a tough night on stage, 1949. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Model wearing black nylon hose permanently attached to high heeled satin mules by Herbert Levine, 1950. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dancer Mary Ellen Terry talking with her legs up in telephone booth, 1952. Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Cancan dancers flinging up their legs while they dance in Paris, 1952. Nat Farbman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Model wearing new stay-up stocking with elastic cord spiraling around thigh, 1954. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Teenage girls resting feet at a formal dance, 1954. Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Stockings and garters, 1954. Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene at a beatnik night club, 1960. A. Y.—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/"},"headline":"In Praise of Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple","datePublished":"2014-11-30T16:45:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:48.116Z","description":"Classic photos that capture stockings' allure, and the quite evident reasons for the fashion staple's central place in the style canon","url":"https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/","keywords":["fashion","Living","photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf2724639bae4857/6987624dcd6848be2109742f/141022-nylon-anniversary-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf2724639bae4857/6987624dcd6848be2109742f/141022-nylon-anniversary-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"75 Years of Nylon","caption":"Nylon stockings, 1945.","creditText":"Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fashion/","name":"fashion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3532120/nylon-stockings-classic-photos-of-a-fashion-staple/","name":"In Praise of Nylon Stockings: Classic Photos of a Fashion Staple"}}]}] ```