A Short History of Long Socks

A Short History of Long Socks

One of the more fun and fashionable trends you'll see these days is that of thigh high socks and stockings being worn by all kinds of women for all kinds of occasions. From the convenience and warmth they offer to the fun, playful options available, above the knee socks and hose have come a long way. But just how far have they come? Let's take a brief look at the history of socks and stockings.

While the first socks were quite a bit distinct than what you think of today, they beyond doubt date all the way back to the stone ages. At that time they were easy animal skins that were gathered nearby the foot and tied nearby the ankles. And there is evidence that the old Egyptians had some form of knitted sock already (really not too surprising when you think how developed they were in so many ways. The fact that they had knitted socks just fits in with the rest of the story of these remarkable people).

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By the 8th century Bc the Greeks started using a form of socks that were made from the matted hair of animals. While it isn't clear whether these were worn by the normal public, it seems that perhaps they were wee to use in theatrical plays, and more specifically in comedies. I guess matted animal hair socks are pretty funny looking if you think about it.

Much later, by the late 1400's, pants and socks became a single unit which later became known as 'tights'. Most often they were made from fine silks, wool and/or velvet of many distinct colors. In fact, it wasn't unusual to have each leg of the tights being a isolate color.

Up to this point in time, these kinds of tights or 'hose' were worn primarily by the wealthy. But a hundred years later, by the late 1500s, the invention of knitting machines allowed for more mass production of the garments, production them more accessible to more people.

By the 19th century in the United States, we began to see the creation of full on knitting mills, pushing production levels even higher and accessibility to even more common folk. At the same time, fashion was foremost to men's pants to come to be longer and longer which caused stockings to come to be shorter and shorter. In fact, as the stockings continued to get shorter, the name was eventually shortened as well to simply 'socks'.

A Short History of Long Socks

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