So I thought it would be interesting to compare them to their modern equivalent - Gio fully fashioned stockings. A big part of Gio's marketing campaign is the fact that their stockings are made on the old Aristoc machines, not in itself remarkable as there are no modern machines made. A more pertinent slogan would be that they are made to the same pattern as the Aristoc Harmony stockings. (Think knitting patterns)
Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s there were thousands if not tens of thousands of stocking 'brands' and 100s of companies selling stockings, while most of them were made on a small number of machines they were not all made to the same pattern. Some were longer or wider, had stretch welts or fancy reinforced soles, some had thin seams or ankle motifs (clocks), and of course there were different shaped heels - cuban, point, manhattan etc.
So, how do they compare?
As I mentioned above, the Gios are made to the same pattern as the Harmonys, I compared like for like size 11
black point heel stockings and they were exactly the same size and shape. Thats an 11 inch foot and 41 inch leg length.
All the reinforcing on the foot, the length of the heel and the welt were identical.
The big difference which you can see in the photos is the quality of the yarn used. The Aristocs are a much firmer and smoother
yarn, the Gios are very floppy. Also the Gios are overdyed and the first few washes the water turns black though they don't
look any different on wearing.
Harmony on the left Gio on the right
Harmony on the left Gio on the right
If you can get them Aristoc Harmony FFs will last longer than the Gios due to the firmer snag resistant yarn which makes putting them on easier and less likely to bag and so get snagged. But the Gios are probably the best modern equivalent on the market. I've tried many modern brands and they all have small differences in construction, but they are all made of similar yarn.
