Young Raven Black Haired Girl Wearing Red Stockings

The word stock used to refer to the bottom "stump" part of the body, and by analogy the word was used to refer to the one-piece covering of the lower trunk and limbs of the 15th century—essentially tights consisting of the upper-stocks (later to be worn separately as knee breeches) and nether-stocks (later to be worn separately as stockings).
Benefits and drawbacks
Stockings are often preferred to pantyhose for a number of reasons. Some people regard stockings, and the associated use of garters, lace, top fashion and applique and the exposure of the thigh, to be more aesthetic than pantyhose. Stockings enable easier, quicker and less complex access to a woman's crotch area, for example when going to the toilet or for sexual purposes. Stockings are also regarded as cleaner and healthier, while pantyhose tends to create a humid and warm environment in the crotch area, increasing perspiration and potentially promoting fungal and bacterial growth. Stockings, on the other hand, provide ventilation in the crotch, resulting in a reduction of fungal and bacterial growth.