Stockings are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparency. Today, stockings are primarily worn for fashion and aesthetics, usually in association with mid-length or short skirts.
A pair of nylon stockings.
Examining the quality of nylon stockings, Malmö clothing factory, Sweden, 1954
Stockings on display for sale in South Korea
Kronenberg brand stocking from mid-20th century
Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concept of the American term pantyhose with sheer legs and opaque panty.
Opaque black synthetic tights with cotton gusset
A woman wearing tights under a skirt
Renaissance-era costume
Henry VIII of England in tights