Lingerie Accessories : How to Put on Stockings

Whether your definition of stockings is tights, panty hose, thigh highs or a support garment, you put them all on in basically the same way. The goal is to get them to lie smoothly against your legs all the way up without tearing. Remember the way Mel Gibson's character tried on panty hose in What a Woman Wants? That's not how you do it.

First: How Not to Do It

1. Grow out long nails that you know you'll never cut. Allow them to get jagged edges that you sport proudly because, hey, at least they haven't broken off yet-and you can still type and dial your cell phone! (Who knew putting on stockings had anything in the world to do with a manicure?)
2. Keep your legs dry and scaly-and unshaven. Sharp skin equals a sharp mind, right? You're just boasting your brainpower on the outside.
3. Sit on your bed and insert both feet simultaneously into the top of the pantyhose. Jam them down as quickly as possible toward the bottom. Don't worry about checking your toenails for jagged edges first, either.
4. Jump up and down to get them all the way up, as far as they're supposed to go. If they don't come up to your waist and stop at your knees or thighs instead, you'll have to do it twice. Hope you're up for a workout.
5. Voila! You're now the proud wearer of shredded stockings. Starting a new trend?

OK, So How You Really Do It

Putting on stockings isn't very difficult, rather it's probably simpler than doing it the wrong way, regardless of whether your desired outcome is shredded stockings. Here's the correct way to do it:

1. Moisturize and shave your legs. Check your nails-toes and fingers-for jagged edges. You don't want to rip them at the top where your fingernails meet the material. You also run the risk of snagging them all the way down if your toenails aren't in tip-top shape. Make sure they're filed!
2. Sit on a steady surface and gather the material for one leg all in one hand. You should create a shallow opening that puts the tips of your toes in contact with the bottom of the stocking right away. Holding the remaining material against your leg with your thumb inside and the pads of your fingertips on the outside. Slowly inch the stocking up your leg, pulling them snug as you go (that way you don't have to pull at them later, risking tears). Once you get them all the way up, you may have to go back over them for "touch-ups", pulling a small section upward at a time to get the stocking flat against your leg.
3. Repeat on the other side. Stand up and check out your legs. Looking sexy (or well supported, depending on your goal with your stockings).

Slide them on slowly.

Why Wear Them, Anyway?

Admittedly, stockings aren't always the most comfortable things to put on. Why go through the trouble of putting on stockings, anyway? Well, there are a few reasons:

• Dress code. Some workplaces require some sort of stockings, panty hose, etc. Since looking for a new job is probably harder than learning to put on stockings, most people just suffer through the mild discomfort and extra time in the morning that it takes to put them on.

• Support. As mentioned above, some stockings are designed to give support and increase circulation. These stockings are harder to get on than the sheerer types and you may even find yourself struggling to get them off at night, but the way you put them on is still the same.

• Warmth: When it's cold outside, you need all the layers you can get. It's easier to layer on top with a bra, cami, t-shirt, sweater and jacket or coat. There aren't that many options for the lower half and stockings can add a layer of warmth underneath your blue jeans or other pants. They're especially great for when you have to wear a skirt in less than sunny weather.

• Sex appeal or figure-enhancing: Think about the allure of a simple line up the back of a pair of panty hose. Think of the wonders of control garments. Some sorts of stockings can offer you those things.