Young Brunette Girl With Pigtails Wearing Striped Colored Stockings

Today, stockings are primarily worn by women for fashion and aesthetics. They can also be worn for increased warmth. They are also sometimes worn by men, and in cross-dressing and fetishism.
Historically, even though the word sock is at least as ancient in origin, what men normally wore were often referred to as stockings, probably especially when referring to longer hose at times when they were the fashion for men.