The Fishnet Craze......from raunchy to distinguished!

Feb 23, 2017
2 min read

This month I thought I would experiment styling the most favoured trend at the moment – ‘fishnets’. Regardless of their obvious limitations in practicality i.e. causing extreme chilliness, they seem to be materialising everywhere, from the catwalk to high-street. This versatile garment can be seen poking out of the rips in jeans, emerging over the top of waistbands, under t-shirts and of course in the traditional sense as the punk leg candy tights.

I absolutely love interlacing this trend into my everyday looks, whether that be just as a hint under my jeans or more boldly paired with a little black dress. Threading my feet through the diamond-shaped gaps of fabric, is empowering and exciting, making me feel confident and almost sophisticated, completely contradicting its stereotypical trashy stigma.

Fishnets are historically classed as hosiery/undergarments, traditionally associated with prostitution and vulgarity. This racy stocking which has been a dizzy distraction for boys since the late 1800’s, originated from Parisian dancers and prostitutes who lurked on the city of love’s corners at night. It was the ‘Moulin Rouge girls’ who spread this trend across Europe due to how they chose to encase their visible legs with this alluring stocking. The garment is also notoriously associated with the ‘1920’s Flapper girls’, which was their primary choice of undergarment beneath the motions of the shifting folds of the flapping material.

The trend re-emerged in the 1970s in a differing effect, particularly in America through the punk, rock and metal scene inspired by bands such as the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The fishnets were still in someway associated with the red light district, but then were more universally accepted as a fashion statement and were accessible in a variation of tones including neon yellows, greens, pinks and reds. The fishnet continued in the New Romanticism and post 70’s punk scene in London clubs and through the 1980’s post punk gothic scene. This often encompassed a variation of black materials matched together with the iconic denim jacket and other individualistic attachments such as fabric patches, badges, pins etc. The erotic stocking became an accepted mainstream staple in the late 1980s and 90s, paired with the popular mini skirt and cropped jacket and is now accessible everywhere. The netted material’s popularity has heightened in the last year becoming many individual’s primary choice of accessory.

If used correctly this accessory can make a plainer outfit more stylish and edgy without forgetting its subtle saucy hint. Weaving fishnets into your ensemble creates a more intriguing and experimental look, try it out!

Below I have styled myself in four outfits incorporating this trend, with a black dress and jeans, creating rock chick-esque looks alongside my heavy smoky eye.