Fishnet tights are back at the top of the autumn–winter 2026/27 trend lists, as Vanity Fair Italia points out in a new look at their history. It is a fitting comeback for a piece that has spent more than a century moving between the stage, the pin-up studio, the punk club and the catwalk, changing its meaning almost every decade.
From the music hall to the silver screen
Nobody can say for certain who invented the open diamond-mesh stocking. Italian fashion writers often credit the Parisian hosier Fernand Gastineau, who made fine silk stockings in the early 1900s, while costume historians point to trade notices of “netted” hosiery from around 1912. What the sources agree on is where fishnets first found fame: on the legs of music hall, revue and cabaret dancers, where they added a touch of daring to the performance.
By the 1920s they had crossed the Atlantic and been adopted by American showgirls and film actresses. For the first half of the century they stayed largely a costume for the stage and the screen, too provocative for everyday wear. After the war they became a signature of pin-up photography and burlesque, worn as full tights, with a back seam or as hold-ups.
Punk, pop and the runway
In 1970s London the meaning flipped. Punk took the showgirl’s stocking and tore it, pairing ripped fishnets with black leather as a deliberate challenge to polite taste. The look then carried into the colourful excess of the 1980s, survived the minimalism of the 1990s on those who wanted an edge, and returned in the 2000s with a much larger mesh that frames the leg rather than veiling it.
Performers still love them for a practical reason too: a fine net evens out skin tone under strong stage lights, especially in a nude shade layered over sheer tights. On the latest runways, Vanity Fair Italia notes, the mood ranges from ultra-feminine, with fine mesh under floral, semi-sheer dresses at Fendi, to the rebellious side of the tradition, with fishnets worn beneath short fur coats, patent kitten heels and pinstripes at Vivienne Westwood.
How to wear them now? Let the tights do the talking and keep accessories polished: a pair of statement earrings, a fine pendant from our necklaces, a slim stack of bracelets, and a structured leather shoulder bag or compact crossbody bag for evenings out.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, Observer, The Lingerie Museum.
