In 1928, the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co. hired Wallace Carothers Ph. to conduct pure research in any area of chemistry he chose. His interest was in the construction of long chain polymers, similar to those found in nature. There was no product in mind when he and his team began their work, they simply wanted to learn as much about large molecules as possible. The work done by Carothers and his team lead to the discovery of polyesters and polyamides. DuPont went with the polyamides, and nylon was born. It was the first fiber produced entirely in the laboratory, and was introduced to the public in the form of women's stockings at the 1939 World's Fair. Nylon stockings went on sale May 15, 1940, and were a smashing success. Prior to the production of nylon stockings, American women wore stockings made of silk or rayon. By 1942, nylon stockings were taking twenty percent of the stocking market. With U.S. entry into World War Two, nylon was declared a defense material and withdrawn from the civilian market. Nylon's most famous use during the war was as a replacement for silk in parachutes. However, it was also used in ropes, netting, tire cord, and dozens of other items. So many uses were found for nylon that some referred to it as the "fiber that won the war." When the war ended, nylon stockings were brought back and quickly replaced silk and rayon in the stocking market.
This is the first pair of experimental nylon stockings made by Union Hosiery Company for Du Pont in 1937. The leg of the stocking is nylon, the upper welt, toe, and heel are silk, and cotton is found in the seam. The nylon section of the stocking would not take the silk dye, and dyed to black instead of brown.
Hand-sewn by the wearer for her senior prom in South Texas, this dress reflects middle-class attempts to imitate the grandeur of debutante balls. Starting out as college rituals at the turn of the 20th century, proms worked their way down to high schools and became more expensive during the prosperous 1950s. This dress was made in 1965, despite the counterculture of the 1960s showing a slight decline in the prom's popularity.
This dress is full-length and made of rose-colored, satin-like fabric. A darker pink machine-made lace with a floral patter covers the front and back of the bodice. The front of the lace is decorated with scattered three- point stars made of sewn-on oblong pearls with a smaller, round pearl in the center. These smaller pearls are also randomly applied throughout the bodice, though many are now missing. The bodice has two darts in the back and four in the front, with two coming up from the waist; the others form under the arms toward the breast area. An undecorated skirt is attached, flared, and gathered at the waist. It is made of two large panels seamed on the sides. The entire dress is lined in pale pink synthetic fabric. A metal zipper on the center back fastens the dress, and a hook-and-eye closure is at the top neckline.
In 1959, the Mattel toy company introduced Barbie. Unlike most dolls at the time, Barbie was a grown-up-a "teenage fashion model" who could date, drive, and wear fabulous clothes.
While often criticized for her unrealistic physical proportions and for promoting gender stereotypes, Barbie has also evolved with the times. Since the 1980s she has taken on many new careers, from police officer to paleontologist. She even ran for president.
This is a pair of black, women’s, size 8 Fila sneakers most likely worn by an immigrant during a Mexican-U.S. border crossing. The sneakers are very worn and split down the middle of both shoes horizontally. The sneakers were recovered at a dump site on the Arizona side of the border.
Fila is an Italian company started by two brothers in 1911 as a textile business. Over the years, the company has grown and expanded into an international business fabricating sports attire. Their breakthrough line came in the 1970s, the White Line Collection, aimed specifically at tennis players but the company designs sportswear for all types of athletes today (2015).