To improve the aesthetic appeal of pantyhose fabric, a new product was designed and developed and a wear experiment were conducted. We examined the gradational effects of lightness and visual impression of circular plain knitted fabrics made from novel single covered yarn composed of color polyurethane core yarn and uncolored nylon covering yarn with and without dyeing. The results indicate that, in terms of sheerness and gradation of lightness, for pantyhose samples made from single covered yarn, a combination of a coarser color polyurethane core yarn and a finer nylon covering yarn is preferable to that of a finer color polyurethane core yarn and a coarser nylon covering yarn. The gradational effects of lightness on the aesthetic appeal of legs clad in pantyhose are greatly influenced by the size and color of both core and covering yarns in the single covered yarn. Color polyurethane core yarn is useful for improving the distribution of lightness difference between legs with and without the pantyhose fabric on the entire leg wearing pantyhose. It was found that not only the sheerness but also the gradational effects of lightness for three-dimensional appeal of pantyhose is an important aesthetic property in beautifying legs clad in them.
