60
Due to the fact that by 1953 nylons have pretty much become a must for every proper lady, going out always meant squeezing into garters. There was no other way to hold the stockings up. What Ethel Gant basically did was to stitch some stockings to a pair of panties, thus getting rid of the garter-part. She then handed the crude ensemble to her husband, telling him to come up with a viable design for the solution. Sure enough, with help from J.O. Austin, Arthur Rogers and Irvin Combs, that's exactly what Mr. Gant did. This is how the Panti-Legs came to existence. Commercial production was already in full swing in 1959 and the Panti-legs became available in stores too. Despite the obvious advantages presented by the new design, the garment didn't enjoy outstanding popularity until the mid 60s when the mini-skirt burst onto the fashion-scene. Given the fact that stockings were simply not long enough to keep up with the requirements instated by the mini-skirt, panty hose surfaced as the only reasonable alternative.
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