In the power of nylon

On September 4, 1959, women's tights first appeared in the United States, which made a real revolution in the world of fashion and convenience. Tights became an integral part of the women's wardrobe, replacing traditional stockings.

1. A woman examines nylon tights in 1942. (Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

2. A model wears tights, a silk corset belt with wool lining, and a bra, 1942. (Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

3. Stockings. 1943 (Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

4. Patterned tights, 1943. (Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

5. Nylon stockings. 1945.

6. A model in black stockings, a coat, a fur hat and a fur muff adjusts her garter, 1946. (Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

7. Model in stockings, 1948. (Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images)

8. Lace stockings with mid-calf panels and ankle cinches, 1948. (Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

9. The 1948 New Year's Eve hit. (Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images)

10. Choirgirl Linda Lombard rests her legs after a hard night on stage, 1949. (George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

11. A model wears black tights attached to high-heeled shoes by Herbert Levine, 1950. (Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

12. Dancer Mary Ellen Terry talks on the phone with her pantyhose-clad legs propped up on a phone booth in 1952. (Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

13. Cancan dancers lift their stockinged legs high during a performance in Paris, 1952. (Nat Farbman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

14. A model wears the new compression stockings, which feature an elastic spiral rope around the thigh, in 1954. (Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

15. Teenage girls relax during a ball, 1954. (Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

16. Stockings and Garters, 1954. (Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

17. A scene from a beatnik nightclub, 1960. (AY—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images)