Sizing is a very tricky thing. It depends not only on the actual length of the garment, but also on it's cross stretch and the shape of the item going into it. Wee ankles, calves, or hands versus more substantial ones, wider feet versus narrower ones, all of it affects fit. Nearly all of the stockings we offer are above the knee in length or even thigh high, depending on the person wearing them.
The majority of our items are One Size Fits Most, and this truly does seem to work out great for most people. We also carry a few that are available in size Small and Large. These are based on men's shoe sizing. The size "Small" generally fits a 5-8ish shoe size. The "Large" size fits approximately a 9-12 shoe size. Due to the nature of knit objects, both of these are quite flexible in either direction depending on the feet and legs involved.
HISTORICAL FIT / GARTERS:
As these stockings are produced to imitate historic versions of hosiery, so too do they have similar attributes. Early stockings did not have elastic and were worn with garters to support them. We heartily suggest wearing them with ours.
Garters can be anything from something purchased to a simple length of ribbon gently tied below your knee to help hold up your stockings. If your historical clothing involves knee britches, sometimes one does not need garters if the leg cuff on the knee britches is fitted well.
If you use a garter belt, the thinner styles of stockings (lightweight or silk) will tend to work better with the button type clips. A garter belt with the wider clamp style clips will work with most of our styles.
Some styles of our stockings stay put quite well for some customers without much assistance, especially the vertical ribbed varieties. We do hope this is helpful and not too confusing. Since there are so many body types in the world, a simple absolute answer just isn't possible. If you ever have a question regarding fit or wear, please do not hesitate to contact us. We love talking with our customers. :)
