Fishnets resurface on the fashion front

With so many colours and pattern sizes to choose from, they can be worn on practically any occasion by women of all ages


No matter how old you are, fishnet stockings have probably made at least one appearance in your life, if not your wardrobe.

In the 1950s, fishnets were for pinup girls like Bettie Page. In the 1960s, fishnets went Carnaby Street mod. Worn in the punk world with micro-minis, they took on a more sinister cast in the 1970s. In the 1980s, women pulled on fishnets to dance to Madonna's Like a Virgin. More recently, fishnets became a staple among the Goth and Industrial subcultures.

"They come and go, but I think they are sort of timeless," says fishnet fan Karina Vaysburd, the marketing and public-relations director for Water Water Everywhere, a chain of bathing-suit stores.

So what's the big news?

Fishnets now come in countless variations and can be worn on practically any occasion by women of all ages. With so many colours and pattern sizes to choose from, fishnets can be subtle or just a lot of fun. And today, fishnets, reinforced with lycra, don't pouf out at the knees and ankles like they used to.

Worn "in a graceful and sophisticated way, (fishnets) always look so feminine and beautiful", says Vaysburd, 28, who lives in Baltimore, US.

Fishnets add texture, yet can work in most conservative settings.

Jennifer Culler, an administrative assistant at Trahan Burden & Charles advertising agency and a freelance costume designer, makes the most of fishnets. "I have a whole variety; different colours, black and silver, sparkly, burgundy. Beige (fishnets) are popular right now," says Culler, who has bought them at Victoria's Secret and Hot Topic.

Like Vaysburd, Culler, 31, sees fishnets everywhere. "I had a friend who just got married in Vegas in a Titanic-era gown, and she wore Victorian boots and ivory fishnets," the Charles Village, Maryland resident says.

Not long ago, Culler went to New York City, where she wore "knee-high black boots, a pleated skirt, cashmere sweater and fishnets".

The "trend is definitely patterned hose and fishnets", says Lynn Fram, co-owner of Bare Necessities, a Baltimore-area lingerie shop.

Even if your occupation is not dancer at the Moulin Rouge, fishnets can easily go to the workplace, Fram says. "I wear them to work, because I want people to see that they can be fun and they can wear them all the time."

Classic black fishnets "sell more for evening", Fram says. She recently had a client who was attending an evening wedding that called for cocktail attire. "She had a funky dress and killer shoes", and the fishnets "went great with them", Fram says.

"If you wear them for work, I would stay away from black," Vaysburd says. She suggests wearing "a great brown pair with a tweed skirt and maybe high-heeled Mary Janes".

Pairing brown fishnets with something like velvet, achieves a look that is richer instead of racier, Vaysburd says.

"I'm working them into my work wardrobe, which I can do because I work at the American Civil Liberties Union, where we're all about freedom of expression," says Stacy Mink, director of development and public education for the ACLU of Maryland.

Fishnets have a way of uniting the old and the new. "I dress in a mix of new and vintage clothes," and the fishnets tie it all together, says Mink, 38, who lives in North Baltimore.

Wearing fishnets should not be limited to women of a certain age, Fram says.

She recently had a client who was "probably in her late 70s. She was tall, attractive and hip". She bought fishnets with the new, large diamond pattern and looked great, Fram says.

"I do think age is a factor with fishnets, but more in terms of colour," Vaysburd says. "Neons like pink or green or yellow definitely work best on younger women, but I think that a pair of nude or brown or dark-green fishnets would be beautiful and elegant on an older woman."

"More than anything," Vaysburd says, "I think it comes down to a woman's attitude and personal style — if she feels she can wear fishnets, then she probably can."

Kimry Perrone, the manager of Ma Petite Shoe and Oh Said Rose in Hampden, Maryland, is awaiting a shipment from We Love Colors, which offers 40 fishnet hues. As she speaks, Perrone says she is wearing tie-dye fishnets in a fashion fusion of the 1940s and 1960s. Perrone also suggests layering coloured, opaque tights underneath fishnets of another colour. She wears purple tights with green fishnets, for example.

Those who are more daring may try to "pull off fishnet knee-highs, high-heeled Mary Janes and a little pleated, school girl skirt", Vaysburd suggests.

© Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service