Life, 1925-08-20 · page 4 of 36
Life — August 20, 1925 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but rather a **straightforward advertisement** for Phoenix Hosiery from Milwaukee. The ad promotes a significant fashion shift: hosiery transitioning from hidden undergarment to visible fashion statement. The elaborate decorative illustrations surrounding the text showcase ornate stocking patterns and designs, emphasizing that stockings now display personal taste and individuality. The advertisement claims Phoenix leads this market trend, offering "smarter hosiery" in "sumptuous colorings and patterns" that are durable for "longer miles" of wear. The key message: stockings are fashion accessories deserving attention, no longer merely functional undergarments. This reflects early-to-mid twentieth-century fashion evolution when women's legs and stockings became increasingly visible and fashionable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hosiery is no longer an: under- garment. It is out where all the world may see it. As a revealer of taste and individuality in dress, it has arrived at first-rank importance. In the adjustment to this new order, Phoenix has earned its outstanding leadership. Smarter hosiery, in more sump- tuous colorings and patterns, and with the ability to resist wear over longer miles, has been its achievement. Your stockings are undergarments no longer. PHOENIX HOSIERY MILWAUKEE comicbooks.com