![]() “You saw the fashion pendulum swing more towards the casual,” she says. Those glory days came to an end in the 1990s, a shift that Hosiery Association President Sally Kay attributes to a more relaxed work environment. “No one knows I’m wearing support pantyhose,” declared another. “The silkiest ever,” teased one Hanes advertisement. In return, hosiery manufacturers continued to market new colors, textures, sizes and technology. As more women headed into the workplace, sales of pantyhose only grew. Simultaneously, new kinds of sewing techniques and fabrics-like spandex-brought the cost of the pantyhose down while increasing the range of sizes that could be offered.īy the 1970s and 1980s, pantyhose were a staple in every teen and woman’s wardrobe. “When Twiggy came along, you couldn’t even bar the door,” says Gant Jr., who now holds his father’s previous position as president of Glen Raven Mills. When iconic models such as Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy donned their mini skirts, demand for pantyhose exploded and women flocked to the stores for pairs of their own. Though the convenience of not having to wear a girdle or garter belt was a plus, what helped pantyhose take hold was the rise of the miniskirt in the mid-1960s.įrom the runway, to the office, and now stored away in women’s dresser drawers, pantyhose have gone through several life cycles.įor the fashion-conscious woman looking to wear a skirt shorter than stockings are long, pantyhose were the perfect fit. had at least one satisfied customer, but the panty-stocking combo did not grab most women’s attentions at first. I don’t think we’ve ever changed our minds,” she said.Īllen Gant Sr. “Most people my age loved them from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to get a hold of them. “It was wonderful,” a 74-year-old Ethel Gant told the Associated Press 30 years later. Austin, and Irvin Combs, developed what they later called “Panti-Legs.” Their product-the world’s first commercial pantyhose-began lining department store shelves in 1959. Allen brought his wife’s experiment into the office, and with the help of his colleagues Arthur Rogers, J. “You got to figure out how to do this,” she said. She stitched some crude garments together, tried them on, and handed the products to her husband. ![]() “How would it be if we made a pair of panties and fastened the stockings to it?” he asked Ethel. How else could you hold up your nylons?Īllen Gant Sr., then running textile company Glen Raven Mills, was inspired by his wife’s lament. Formal dress dictated that females wear such intimate, and often uncomfortable, articles of clothing. The year was 1953 and if you were a woman, a night on the town meant either squeezing into a girdle or slipping on a garter belt. Managing her stockings and garter belt over her expanding belly was becoming difficult, and being a proper lady, she would not be seen in public without her hosiery. It was nothing personal, just a matter of comfort. and his wife Ethel Boone Gant were on the overnight train to North Carolina, returning home from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, when a pregnant Ethel informed her husband that this would be her last trip with him-at least until the birth of their child. But here’s the twist-it was at the request of his wife.Īccording to Allen Gant Jr., the inventor’s son, Gant Sr. Three generations of women have now experienced waist-to-toe stockings, and few would be surprised to discover that a man invented pantyhose. introduced the first pair in 1959, his descendents have watched the garment move from high fashion to optional accessory. The story of pantyhose runs in the Gant family.
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