Thigh-high stockings, hold-ups and over-the-knee socks: the names explained
Hold-ups, stockings, over-the-knee socks and knee-highs: the right names for long hosiery that reaches the thigh or the knee, how they differ and how they stay up.
The short answer: sheer hosiery that reaches the thigh and stays up on its own is a hold-up (thigh-high in the US); the kind that clips onto a suspender belt is a stocking; a thicker knit that ends above the knee is an over-the-knee sock. Below the knee, they are knee-highs. Here is how to tell them apart and how to wear them.
Hold-ups (thigh-highs)
They reach mid-thigh and have a deeper welt at the top, with a silicone band inside that grips the leg. They are almost always sheer or semi-opaque, often with a lace top. In the UK they are called hold-ups or stay-ups, in the US thigh-highs. See our glossary.
On this year's runways we saw them at Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, with the lace top showing through a slit, and at Dolce&Gabbana.
Lace-top stockings with suspenders on show: Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, spring/summer 2027. Photo: courtesy of Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, via WWD.
Stockings
Stockings in the traditional sense reach the thigh but have no silicone band. They stay up by clipping onto a suspender belt (garter belt in the US). Some have a seam up the back of the leg: seamed stockings.
Over-the-knee socks
Long socks that end above the knee, in a thicker knit, often opaque, in cotton or wool. They are worn with short skirts, shorts or dresses, leaving a strip of thigh showing. Also called thigh-high socks. They stay up with an elastic welt, sometimes with a grip band.
Knee-highs
They stop below the knee. Sheer, they are the ones you wear under trousers; opaque or ribbed, they become a piece to show off, like Anteprima's grey knee-highs or Torishéju's sheer black ones.
Sheer knee-highs with the band on show: Torishéju, spring/summer 2027. Photo: courtesy of Torishéju, via WWD.
Tights vs pantyhose vs stockings
The most common doubt comes before all the others. Tights and pantyhose are the same thing: one garment that goes from the waist to the toes, with a waistband and a gusset. Tights is the British word and covers every weight, from 10 denier to opaque; pantyhose is the American one, and in the US it usually means the sheer kind, while thick opaques are called tights there too. Stockings are a different garment: two separate legs that stop at the thigh. If they clip onto a suspender belt they are stockings in the strict sense; if they stay up on their own with a silicone band they are hold-ups. For the weights, see our denier guide.
Chart: the names of long hosiery
| Name | Length | How it stays up | Typical weight | Also called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold-ups | Mid-thigh | Silicone band | Sheer, semi-opaque | Stay-ups, thigh-highs (US) |
| Stockings | Thigh | Suspender belt | Sheer | — |
| Over-the-knee socks | Above the knee | Elastic welt | Opaque, knitted | Thigh-high socks |
| Knee-highs | Below the knee | Elastic welt | Sheer or opaque | Knee socks |
| Tights | Waist | Waistband | Any | Pantyhose (US) |
How to choose
- For a slit skirt or an evening dress, hold-ups with a deep welt: on and off like tights, but nothing at the waist.
- For a retro look, seamed stockings and a suspender belt.
- For daytime, with short skirts and boots, cotton or wool over-the-knee socks.
- Under trousers, sheer knee-highs.
For the right weight see our denier chart; for every term, the tights glossary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tights, pantyhose and stockings?
Tights and pantyhose are the same garment, one piece from the waist to the toes: tights is the British word, pantyhose the American one, which in the US usually means the sheer kind. Stockings are two separate legs that reach the thigh and clip onto a suspender belt; with a silicone band that holds them up on their own they are hold-ups.
What are stockings that go up to the thigh called?
If they are sheer and have a silicone-lined top band that holds them up on their own, they are hold-ups (thigh-highs in the US). If they clip onto a suspender belt, they are stockings. If they are a thicker knit, often opaque, and end above the knee, they are over-the-knee socks.
What is the difference between hold-ups and stockings?
Hold-ups stay up thanks to an elastic band inside the top, usually lined with silicone. Traditional stockings have no such band and attach to a suspender belt (garter belt in the US) with clips.
Are thigh-highs the same as hold-ups?
Mostly, yes: in the US 'thigh-highs' usually means what the UK calls hold-ups or stay-ups, stockings that stay up on their own. The term is also used loosely for any hosiery that ends at the thigh.
What are knee-high tights called?
Knee-highs: sheer or opaque socks that stop below the knee with an elastic band. Heavier knitted versions are often called knee socks.
