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At the literary gatherings held at the houses of fashionable mid-18th century hostesses, it became the custom to wear casual rather than formal dress. In the case of gentlemen's stockings, this meant gray worsted (called "blue" at that time) rather than black silk. This lack of decorum was disapproved of in some quarters, and one Admiral Boscowan dubbed the participants the "Blue Stocking Society." Women who attended the gatherings thus became known as "Blue Stocking Ladies" (even though it was men who had worn the stockings).
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