For American women in World War II, a shortage of stockings was a minor inconvenience, but it did affect daily life. When they came on the market nationwide on May 15, , over , pairs were sold on the first day. Japan was the sole supplier of silk to the US, and deteriorating trade relations in cut off the supply. Silk was used for parachutes and was the best material for powder bags for naval guns. When the guns were fired, the silk completely disintegrated without leaving any damaging residue. This set off such a shopping frenzy for silk stockings that most retailers set a purchase limit of two or three pairs.
With nylon stockings scarce, women would paint their legs so it looked like stockings, s
Coughlin, PH. Nearly half the women in the country would agree with you. Yet these are the facts: Nylon is as good as ever, and stockings are even better. Prices have come down, production has gone up, and women everywhere are wearing the gossamer stockings of their dreams.
The reason for the rush? Wilmington was the home of E. By the end of each Wednesday, the stores would be nearly sold out. Are they on the market as yet? If so, where, please?
Eager American shoppers bought up the new nylons even though they were priced the same as those made of silk. DuPont struggled to keep up with demand and American women were still complaining of shortages in when the United States joined the war. Commercial quantities of nylon stockings would not reach the rest of the world until after