 There exist a variety of hosiery types
Added: 01/09/2006 |
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Regardless of the hosiery types you give your preference to ( be it stocking, thigh-hi or pantyhose) it is now quite common to expect that they will serve for a combination of purposes - have a little sexual context, perhaps be provocative to some degree and have a slight shaping effect. Among other functions is the protection and warmth, which are best performed by fuller coverage hosiery.
Hose or stockings of the Renaissance period were the refined decendents of leggings introduced to Northern and Central Europe by "Northern Barbarians". These hosiery types were generally constructed of animal skins and held up at the waist by a leather belt or girdle, (a belt with ends that extend long past the buckle or fastener at the waist). They were often cross tied down the legs with strips of leather, and were worn mainly for warmth and protection. As the dark ages were drawing to a close, and the relative wealth and prosperity of the Renaissance began to spread throughout Europe, clothing fabrics and construction techniques became more refined. By the 1300s stocking were most commonly cut on the bias from fine woven fabrics such as silk, cotton, and wool.
Particolour hose appeared in the 1400s, enjoyed a revival during the reign of Henry VIII, and lingered into the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. In 1477 the Swiss gained a much heralded victory over the Duke of Burgundy. The soldiers mended their ragged uniforms with strips of tents and banners. In a dashing, romantic blend of feverish patriotism and bold fashion, the Swiss-German people translated this "new look" brought home by their soldiers into clothing that was purposefully slashed to reveal contrasting fabrics beneath at every possible point on the body, including the hose. Although these hosiery types
gained its most eccentric heights in Germany, it was copied throughout Europe and remained popular till about the mid 1500s.
Red, from the very beginning, was a most popular color for stocking or hose, but yellow, blue, black, green, violet, grey, and white were also worn with pride. Decorations of gold or silver gilt worked into the fabric all over hosiery types, and as an edging at the top of the hose were also popular. This brings us back to our modern-day tights, thigh hi. Good, flat finished, (non-shiney), opaque tights can, under the above mentioned circumstances, be quite excellent stand-ins for the tight fitting, leg flattering, fine textured silk knit or woven hosiery types worn by those we seek to honor with our re-enactments.
In our efforts to recreate the flavor of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, we most often choose that more comfortable decedent of ancient hosiery types; modern, stretchy tights. Although our zeal to be as authentic as possible may tempt us to construct, hose from bias cut woven cotton, silk or wool, the discomfort involved in wearing close fitting garb-without-give should be kept in mind. Rashes and irritations from rough fabrics were a problem for renaissance folk who could not afford knitted silk. Our limbs, left tender and soft by the comfort of relatively loose fitting trousers and stretchy fabrics, would most certainly chafe in such attire, even more so then our ancestors, whose skin must have grown accustomed to such rough treatment from daily donning of wool or cotton hose.
Modern market is flooded with various hosiery types. Consumers are free to select from a very wide variety of hose something that will most efficiently correspond to their requirements and meet their expectations. The popularity of various hosiery types (including the traditional stocking and thigh hi stocking) is growing further and new materials are introduced. There exist quite a number of hosiery brands that deserve a lot of credit for producing decent undergarment. This refers in particular to fragile hosiery types like pantyhose and light-texture stockings. It can be quite frustrating and disappointing to lose one's favorite pair of stunning stockings to some accident caused by the poor quality of the item itself.
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