Digital Content Note

Please note that we have tried to keep the layout and format of this publication as close to the original as possible, but the web-based output is not a true facsimile of the document. The metrics of the font used for the web pages differs from the original, which has resulted in some differences between this and the printed booklet. We have taken great care to ensure that the content is exactly the same as the original, which means that some of the phraseology may seem strange, and some of the content may not be as politically correct as one would expect in the 21st Century!! We would also add that if you find an error in the text, or encounter something that doesn't seem to make much sense, we are confident that the original document contained the same error or “nonsense”—for example, the definition of ‘denier’ on Page 67 does not correspond with any definition that we have found!

To improve the navigation through the document, we have added hypertext links to various parts of the publication, for instance from the contents page, and where a caption is not directly adjacent the photograph to which it refers. 

We believe that the original 72-page booklet was published in 1954. The company, Pretty Polly, is still producing hosiery, and we have a summary of the company’s history here.

Obviously, at the time of publication—which we estimate as being 1954—yarns such as Rayon, cotton, and wool were still used extensively in the manufacture of fully-fashioned stockings, but the development of new processes of manufacture and materials since that time have meant the demise of these types of hosiery. It is also true to say that, whilst there are still very few manufacturers of fully-fashioned stockings, none of these will be producing stockings using, for example, the “French” or “Continental” heel.

We hope that you find the information helpful and enlightening, and would welcome any feedback or comments.