How'd They Do That?

In 2000, Oprah discovered a miracle product and has been raving about it ever since—Spanx pantyhose. Oprah says the fabulous footless hose that "suck it all in" changed her life.

Spanx started as a simple idea when 27-year-old Sara Blakely was looking for a simple hose solution. Sara wanted to maintain the slimming effect of pantyhose—without covering her feet. By cutting the foot portion off of her favorite stockings, she got the best of both worlds! "They made me look a size smaller, smoothed everything out, got rid of the panty line, and I thought, 'This should exist for women!'" Sara says.

Sara says Oprah gave her the final inspiration she needed to move ahead with her idea. "I remember verbally saying, 'I'm asking for a sign.' I flipped on the end of Oprah, and that day, Oprah told the world that she had been cutting the feet off her pantyhose for years," Sara says.

At that moment, Sara cleaned out her $5,000 savings account and went for it. "I went to craft stores and found little bands and things that I thought could maybe go on the end of it," Sara says. "I researched yarns. The hosiery mill helped me—there are thousands of yarns to choose from—and we went through hundreds of prototypes before we came up with the original Spanx."

Take a look at how Spanx are made!