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2006/82/132 Stockings (pair) with packaging, 'Beatles', womens, nylon / paper, by Ballito, for Scott-Centenaire Ltd, England, 1966. Click to enlarge.

Pair of 'Beatles' stockings with packaging by Ballito

Made
The history of the stocking highlights the early significant advancements that were made, not only in the area of manufacturing technology but in textile design. The developments and innovations made over time in technology and textile design of the 'humble' stocking have had far-reaching applications into many other areas. For instance, replacing silk with nylon as parachute material during World War 2. This collection charts the innovations in textile design from the use of natural to …

Summary

Object No.

2006/82/132

Object Statement

Stockings (pair) with packaging, 'Beatles', womens, nylon / paper, by Ballito, for Scott-Centenaire Ltd, England, 1966

Physical Description

Pair of women's black nylon stockings featuring the text 'The Beatles' and the four faces of the band members on the welting. The faces are printed in blue, pink and white above each band member's signature. The faces are repeated as a pattern woven through the legs of both stockings. The stockings come with the original Ballito packaging.

Marks

Print on welting in blue, pink and white of the faces and signatures of each Beatle and 'the Beatles' printed in white on the welting.

Dimensions

Width

185 mm

Production

Notes

This pair of stockings was made by Ballito in England, 1966.

The Beatles took the world by storm in 1963 and 1964. There were scenes of adulation and mass-hysteria from teenagers wherever they appeared. Boys copied the Beatles' style and these stockings demonstrate how the Beatles touched women's fashion as well, through Beatles merchandising.

Reference: Jeremy Farrell, Socks and Stockings, published by B.T. Batsford 1992; David Bond. The Guiness Guide to 20th Century Fashion. Great Britain: Guiness, 1992,p. 171.

History

Notes

The collection was put together by Mrs Nanona Beecher-Moore between 1978 and 1985. Mrs Beecher-Moore was interested in building up a collection that demonstrated the social and textile history of the development of stockings. She recognised the fact that stockings were not being collected or appreciated, particularly those of the 20th century. Mrs Beecher-Moore travelled regularly with her work as a psychotherapist, and with her husband, and looked at stockings in museums all around the world, buying whenever she could. She developed a special interest in nylons, after researching the area of 19th century pornographic literature and advertisements, and was guided in her collecting by her friend, Ms Valerie Mendes of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Mrs. Beecher-Moore acquired these stockings in London in 1975.

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs Naona Beecher-Moore in honour of KC and Tomy Berkeley, 2006

Acquisition Date

12 June 2006

Cite this Object

Harvard

Pair of 'Beatles' stockings with packaging by Ballito 2022, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 5 June 2023, <https://ma.as/320066>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/320066 |title=Pair of 'Beatles' stockings with packaging by Ballito |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=5 June 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}