At the mercy of nylon

75 years ago, on May 15, 1940, the first nylon stockings went on sale in the United States. Let's remember together the history of these masters of women's wardrobe and men's sex fantasies.

The invention of nylon by DuPont in the mid-1930s, as well as the first commercial sale of nylon stockings in May 1940, were some of the major turning points in the fashion world. Since then, nylon tights and stockings have been an integral part of women's wardrobe, regardless of the era. They have gone through all the stages - from the status of a simple necessity to an object of elegance and sophistication. We bring to your attention a few photos dedicated to these piquant details of women's wardrobe.

(Total 17 photos)

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

2. The model is wearing tights, a silk corset 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 hat with fur and a fur muff adjusts the 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 inserts and shaping ankles. 1948 (Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

9. Hit New Year's sales in 1948. (Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

10. Chorusist Linda Lombard gives her legs a rest after a hard evening on stage. 1949 (George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images)

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

12. Dancer Marie Ellen Terry talking on the phone, throwing her legs in pantyhose on a telephone booth. 1952 (Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

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

14. The model in the new slimming stockings with an elastic spiral rope around the thigh. 1954 (Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

15. Teenage girls are relaxing during the ball. 1954 (Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

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

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