A few seasons ago, I noticed the models in The Row’s fall 2022 lookbook were all sporting nude hose. Their inclusion was likely a nod to Martin Margiela, who often used the material in his collections, most famously as full-body stockings or face masks that aimed to conceal the identity of the models. (The type-written descriptions on each image, in the style of Margiela’s look book from spring 2000, the collection that also featured a pair of tights as a makeshift belt on a trenchcoat—which the sibling designers also recreated as in their collection—is further proof they had the elusive Belgian in mind). I wondered then if pantyhose could every actually make a comeback. Then Miuccia Prada, the queen of subverting notions of femininity, delivered a blockbuster Miu Miu collection for fall 2023 where sheer hose where on full display, pulled high over the waistbands of low-sling skirts—sometimes with prim and proper cardigans tucked right in. Well, if someone could make them cool again, it would certainly be Miuccia.
What’s funny is that once upon a time, hose were a symbol of freedom. When hemlines began to rise in the 20th century it was with the assurance that a pair of nylons worn underneath the women who wore them would maintain their modesty. Although in the 1920s flappers largely wore their frocks with bare legs or alluring fishnets, most women favored standard stockings. Even the mini skirt that spurred a youthquake revolution was supported by its pairing with tights of various colors that (literally) underpinned the childlike aesthetic that was at its core. By the time the 1980s rolled around and women were entering the workforce in larger numbers than ever, hose were almost like the filters of this time, allowing them to keep up the sheen of perfection and showing they did not need to give up their femininity in their new lifestyle. By the time the 1990s came round, nylons were a thing of the past—seen only on first ladies, or ripped up on the legs of Courtney Love. Tellingly, Ally McBeal, likely the decade’s most famous TV lawyer, went bare-legged underneath her famously ultra-short skirt suits.