The stocking colors of teams were a way of telling one team from another. Stockings in 1900 were made of wool that were high in weight and were made of one-piece at full-length (above the knee). The foot covering part below the ankle bone was colored white or natural wool. It often created the illusion of stirrups. In 1868, the Cincinnati Red Stockings started to play in short trousers so their stockings could be seen. This led to the team's nickname. Teams started to be called the Chicago White Stockings or the St. Louis Brown Stockings because of what colored stockings they wore at the time. Some teams wore "candy cane" stockings instead of stripes during the 1920s; these included the Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Senators.