Lamentably the man who was responsible for inventing nylon (and nylons) did not live to see his endeavours come to full fruition. But the millions of women who have worn nylon stockings would like to thank Dr Wallace H Carothers for his work on polymerisation. Dr Carothers died in 1937, a year before Du Pont announced the advent of its new wonder material. He also died before the start of the Second World War, which would delay nylon's spread into fashion while it made its own contribution to the war effort in the form of parachutes, tents and tarpaulins. Meanwhile, the stocking shortage meant tan many women had to walk around barelegged or with tan makeup and mock seams on their calves.
The clamour for stockings after the war was exacerbated by the fact that clothes rationing continued until 1949. Thereafter, the new variety of leg apparel became so much more popular than silk or chiffon lisle versions that the word 'nylons' became used on its own.
In the end though, stockings of all kinds were dealt a severe blow by the miniskirt. At first a few adventurous girls tried hoiking up their leg-wear as high as they could (to avoid exposing the unsightly ‘double line’), but they were fighting losing battle. Something else was needed, and that something was tights. They caught on in a big way, no doubt aided by a particularly chilly winter in 1969. However, stockings were neither gone, nor forgotten. Stockings remain arguably the most classic article of underwear, and even if you're the only one who's going to see them; they can make any occasion special.
The ubiquity of nylons has given them an almost legendary cultural status, not least in the history of femininity. In fact, a pair of nylon stockings Marilyn Monroe wore on her honeymoon with Joe Dimaggio are on display in New York (alongside a white halter neck dresses and the jumper she wore on her last photo shoot). And if they are good enough for Marilyn, they are surely good enough for us.