My sister Audrey (we call each other ‘Dolly, Doll, Dollette’… long story) emailed me the other day with a question about hosiery, aka ‘stockings’.
Doll (My sister to me),
What is the rule on stockings? I noticed Michelle Obama isn’t wearing them on the White House special with Oprah. Maya and Suzanne had bare legs at Granny’s party. When I showed up at Billy’s baptism without them, I felt horrified.
Hi Doll (Me responding to my sister),
Wellllllllll. Here’s my two cents…
I believe instead of being a rule of Etiquette or Protocol, it has evolved into something much more complicated.
I personally think it boils down to a number of things:
1- Generational issues….I don’t think Laura (Mrs. Bush) would EVER have appeared on National television without hose.
2- Can your legs stand on their own?…Maya and Suzanne, yep. Me, not so much.
3- Season, will your legs have goose bumps and be pasty … Summer, not a problem. Winter, bleh – opt for tights.
4- Flat out preference…. I feel more confident WITH them, other people can’t stand them.
5- And last but not least: Depends on what company you will be keeping…. If you’re with a more ‘mature’ (meaning older) group, then out of respect I would don hosiery. Generation X, you’ll see a bit of both. Generation Y, I don’t think they know what stockings are, unless your talking Christmas and it’s a ‘stocking stuffer’.
Hope that helps!
Love, Dolly
