The elastic stretchy fibers of Lycra (elastane by DuPont) weren't added to women's stockings until after 1959. Stockings weren't made of nylon alone until 1940, following its development by DuPont in 1938 and its first display as a giant stocking on a giant sized leg at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The first introduction of nylon stockings to the buying public took place in New York on May 15, 1940, and the 64 million pairs that were sold in a very short time following the release of this new wonder to the women's garment industry basically collapsed the Japanese silk market almost overnight. It would seem this young lady's silk, or possibly rayon, stockings, notorious for bagging at the knees and ankles due to the method of construction and the characteristics of the material, were doing about as well as could be expected at the time.

I recall my mother's nylon stockings even in the early 60's had yet to adopt the smoother feel and fit of those which would include Lycra in the knit several years later. They were knit to be "leg shaped" and were sold in lengths and leg/calf "sizes" to try and accommodate the contours of the legs of millions of women.In spite of their efforts, usually only the slimmest of women, or those that just happened to be the size and shape of the model used to make the nylons were successful in avoiding the bagging and sagging that would follow a long day's wearing.

There was even an ad campaign for a brand of stretchier stocking in the mid-'60s that drew on that same experience of millions of women to sell their product, claiming to avoid that very thing. It involved a little girl pointing at and comparing her mother's legs to that of the wrinkly legged elephant they were observing at the zoo, much to the mother's embarrassment!

Love the Agaves in the background. Mine don't grow as large here in Indiana as they only get to be outside during the warmer months. Gotta watch out at the spikes on these things can be quite treacherous.

Hardly needed in the Bay Area are the thermostat controlled vertical radiator shutters, an innovation found on higher priced vehicles such as Packard.

Pretty sure that's the technical name for it - anyhow - just realized what the "S"-shaped device on the ragtop is for! it a hinge - yes that's the technical term for it. I often wondered what that squiggly shape signified on 70's vinyl tops. My grandmother drove a '70 Olds Cutlass - red with a white vinyl top featuring those faux hinges glued on the side.

I guess later convertibles hid all of the hinges and workings inside the top. This exterior hinge looks sturdy but I'll bet it whistled a bit when that gal was flying the coupe.

[They're generally called landau bars. -tterrace]

[These GM "landau coupes" were not convertibles. The fabric top doesn't go down. -Dave]

As always - thanks for sharing your wisdom. I see now that 70's vinyl tops were not a mimic of convertibles - but landau coupes. I learn something every day on Shorpy.

[The ornamental landau bars on this coupe are imitating the functional, folding ones originally found on carriages and open cars (which are not the same as "convertibles"). - Dave]

It definitely isn't in the Silk Stocking District.

Please, ma'am, could you smooth out that crease in your stocking?

Early version of the fenderskirt.