Clocks on Socks
Pantyhose are not the most romantic or seductive of feminine apparel – in this respect stockings are much more appealing, whether you call them thigh-highs, stay-ups or over-the-knee socks.
Pair of clocked stockings, European, 1650–1750Historically, they have been part of both men’s and women’s daily wardrobe. Before the 18th century and the invention of the knitting machine, knitted stockings were extremely expensive to produce, and they were at first sewn from ordinary woven fabric (ie, non-elastic). With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, stockings were knitted from cotton or silk on machinery, and were consequently much more affordable. The English city of Nottingham, already famous for its Lace Market district, dominated production.
Stockings were then made from two pieces: the main forming the shaft, heel and upper part of the foot, and the smaller piece the sole. When sewn together, the seam ran along the back of the leg. For better fit around the ankle and lower part of the leg, a wedge (known as a ‘clock’) was sewn in. These clocks were often decorated with embroidery, or cut from entirely a different colour than the main colour of the stocking – and often both.
Traditionally, stockings ended well above the knee. It can be seen in paintings that men often pulled their stockings over the hem of their breeches, and then folded them back down again. As stockings, no matter what they are made of, naturally follow gravity and slide down, garters are tied at the narrowest part of the leg, just below the knee.
In the past, garters were made from a band of woven material tied into a bow, or a strip of leather with a small buckle. Modern-day stay-ups employ a strip of adhesive elastic at the top, but with successive washings they will lose their ability to grip. (More than once I have nearly come to public and embarrassing grief, and was saved only by the length of my winter skirt!)
La Toilette, Françoise Boucher, 1742So why do contemporary paintings show garters tied above the knee? In the opinion of one online source, it is most likely that most of these pictures are genre paintings with erotic intent, affording the chance to show the skirt raised above the knee.
Silk stockings can still be found today. Most are manufactured in France by such labels as Agent Provocateur and Seraphina. They are very fine 15 denier, supposedly extremely luxurious, and expensive. Yet despite this luxury they are of plain and simple design, and are put to shame not only by their historical forbears, but by the intricate designs of modern stockings made from lesser fibers, such as nylon.
These floral stockings for instance (top), embroidered with tiny sprigs of flowers, are reminiscent of the embroidered clocks belonging to an eighteenth century fashionista. Black opaques will always be a staple in cold climates – regardless of the winds of change in fashion – but winter fashion is much more fun with the multitude of colours and styles on offer today. So go on – go get your clocks on.