That's interesting. I wonder which of these dancers really did invent them... I'm just thankful that they are invented! I remember those horrible girdles I wore before pantyhose were available to us regular people.
LynnD On 1/10/08, Sarah Paterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In Ginger Roger's autobiography, she claims the invention. > Sarah Paterson > > -----Original Message----- > > Ruth Anne asked if anyone had personal experience with pantyhose before > 1962 > and Lauren listed Wikipedia's history. In 1962 I was 9-10 and still > wearing > white socks to church. However, my understanding is that Ann Miller - the > dancer/actor/singer with the incredible legs - held the patent for the > first > pantyhose as pantyhose. If you've ever seen her dance in her many movies, > she always lifts her skirts so you can see how fast she's tapping and > lifts > them as high as possible; she really did have amazingly beautiful, long > legs > into her 70s. Anyway, she found a need for stockings that were higher than > the usual stockings and went from there. She was very big starting in the > mid-late 1950s, right? > > Time for me to watch "On the Town" and "Kiss Me Kate" again... > LynnD > > > On 1/10/08, Ruth Anne Baumgartner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > No, they were definitely pantyhose--like stockings but attached to, > > well, stocking panties. Nobody could tell we weren't bare-legged. > > --Ruth Anne > > > > On Jan 9, 2008, at 4:56 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > My two cents: > > > 1) My late brother used to wear men's large Danskin ballet tights > > > as long underwear under his (fashionably tight) jeans. I mention > > > the male-dancer's tights as they might fit Bjarne better -- tights > > > or pantyhose that are too small get uncomfortable pretty fast, > > > either pulling on your kneecaps or creeping down until the crotch > > > is between your knees. Which will be particularly uncomfy in 18th- > > > century breeches! > > > > > > 2) Wikipedia says panty hose were first manufactured in 1965, but > > > prior to that, there were little girls' and dancers' tights -- I > > > remember having them as a toddler at least as early as 1960. > > > Wikipedia attributes the full-body "leotard" (which went to the > > > ankles) to, ahem, Jules Leotard, who died in 1870. (The first > > > recorded use of "leotard" to describe a dancer's or acrobat's > > > costume in English is 1886, according to Wikipedia again.) The > > > tights from my childhood weren't sheer like pantyhose -- indeed > > > some of them were waffle-weave, like thermals -- but they came in > > > flesh-tone colors (like "ballet pink", a slightly peachy pale pink) > > > and might be what you remember wearing under your marching band > > > skirt. They would have been warmer than pantyhose; living in > > > upstate New York, with its cold winters, I remember continuing to > > > prefer tights to pantyhose for winter wear through the mid-70s. > > > Actually, I prefer them today; they last far longer and usually fit > > > better. > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > > From: Ruth Anne Baumgartner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > >> As a former marching-band member, I'd like to second (belatedly) the > > >> recommendation of pantyhose (or tights) to layer with Bjarne's period > > >> stockings. > > >> > > >>> On a costume-history note: interestingly, I keep hearing that > > >> pantyhose were invented in the late 'sixties, and certainly I didn't > > >> routinely buy them for ordinary wear until '68 or so; but my friends > > >> Connie, Joyce, another Joyce, Patty, Marilyn, Rita, and Marcia would > > >> join me in testifying that our mothers found them, bought them, and > > >> saved our musical knees with them as early as 1962. Can anyone else > > >> pinpoint an earliest-available date, from her own experience? > > >> > > >> --Ruth Anne Baumgartner > > >> scholar gypsy and amateur costumer > > >> > > >> On Jan 4, 2008, at 1:08 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > >> > > >>> > > >>> In a message dated 1/4/2008 10:40:35 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, > > >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > >>> > > >>> The best bet may be to layer stockings. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> ************* > > >>> > > >>> This is what I was thinking too. > > >>> > > >>> Unless you want a more rustic look with the wool, I'd get a pair of > > >>> pantyhose or tights. They are very warm in themselves, but put your > > >>> silk stockings > > >>> over them and you should be quite warm....unless it's like way > > >>> below freezing. > > >>> The modern super-stretchy tights would be very smooth and more > > >>> than likely > > >>> undetectable under your correct period stockings. > > >>> > > >>> Even if you do get some fine wool stockings, layering may be needed > > >>> to keep > > >>> you warm. Are there not depictions of men in layers of different > > >>> colored > > >>> stockings...some rolled down a bit to show the layers underneath? > > >>> Or is that too > > >>> early? Too dandy? > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. > > >>> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise? > > >>> NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 > > >>> _______________________________________________ > > >>> h-costume mailing list > > >>> [email protected] > > >>> http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> h-costume mailing list > > >> [email protected] > > >> http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > > _______________________________________________ > > > h-costume mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > > > _______________________________________________ > > h-costume mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
