The Hosiery Glossary: Key Terms Every Enthusiast Should Know
A quick, friendly reference to the words that appear on hosiery packaging and in enthusiast conversations.
Hosiery has a vocabulary all its own, and it can be bewildering at first. This glossary gathers the terms you are most likely to meet on packaging, in product descriptions, and in the community — grouped so you can find your footing quickly.
Construction
- Denier: the weight of the yarn, and the best single guide to how sheer or opaque a pair will be.
- Gusset: the small reinforced panel sewn into the crotch for comfort and durability.
- Welt: the reinforced band at the top of a stocking, which a suspender clip attaches to.
- Toe: may be reinforced (sturdier, visible in open shoes), sheer, or sandal-toe (seamless for peep-toes).
- Elastane / Lycra / spandex: the stretch fibre blended with nylon for fit and recovery.
Styles
- Tights / pantyhose: a one-piece garment covering feet, legs, and body to the waist.
- Stockings: separate leg coverings held up by a suspender belt or a hold-up band.
- Hold-ups / stay-ups: stockings with a self-supporting silicone-lined top band.
- Hold-up welt styles aside, "seamed" means a decorative seam runs up the back of the leg.
- Fishnet: an open diamond-mesh knit, from fine micro-net to bold large net.
Finishes & vintage terms
- Matte vs glossy: whether the finish absorbs light (soft, formal) or reflects it (shiny, glamorous).
- RHT: "reinforced heel and toe," a classic detail prized by vintage-style wearers.
- Fully fashioned: stockings knitted flat to the leg shape and seamed up the back — the traditional, pre-circular-knit method.
- Cuban heel: a squared, reinforced heel detail on some seamed and fully fashioned stockings.
Keep this page bookmarked — once these terms are familiar, reading a hosiery label (and talking shop with other enthusiasts) becomes second nature.
Keep reading
Understanding Hosiery Denier: What the Numbers Really Mean
That little number on the package — 15, 40, 100 — tells you more than almost anything else about a pair of tights. Here is how to read it.
Pantyhose & Tights Size Guide: How to Find Your Perfect Fit
Sagging gussets and rolling waistbands are almost always a sizing problem. Here is how to get the fit right the first time.
Matte vs Glossy Tights: Which Finish Is Right for You?
Finish is the quietly decisive detail most people overlook. Here is what matte and glossy each do for your legs and your outfit.
Hold-ups, Tights, or Stockings? A Beginner’s Guide
Three words that get used interchangeably but mean very different things. Here is how to tell hold-ups, tights, and stockings apart.