We have some basic information on the various fabrics used for school shorts. The school shorts that appeared in the early 20th century in England were mostly made of flannel or other wool fabric. These fabrics were either a coarse flannel or a more expensive wool worsted cloth. This continued until after World war II when Terrelyn and Terrelyn worsted appeared. Some English schools also used corduroy. Corduroy shorts were not common in America, but boys did commonly wear corduroy knickers. Other schools adopted cotton shorts during the summer. Other cotton shorts were generally worn for gym uniforms. American boys at schools with uniforms commonly wear shorts with cotton blends. The same fabric is used for slacks. Cotton drill is a popular fabric. Although not worn as uniforms, some Austrian and German boys wore leather lederhosen to school. Hpefully readers from other countries can provide sonme inforkmation about the material used for school shorts in their countries.

Figure 2.--While Terelyn worsted became the most popular material for English school shorts in the 1960s, a few schools continued to use cordyroy shorts. Notice the grey shirt this prep school boy is wearing and the snake belt.

Corduroy

A few schools adopted corduroy in the 1930s, but flannel remained the most common material. Corduroy shorts continued to be worn after World War II, but they were not nearly as popular as the new Terylene shorts. Cord shorts were chosen for their long wearing characteristics. They were also often worn at schools that were somewhat less formal, even so they like flannel and Terrelyn shorts were commonly worn with ties. Some schools use cord shrts as the every day uniform and had other long or short trousers for formal occasions. Grey was the most common color, but grey and brown were also worn. Someother colors such as green may have also been worn. Cord shorts were most common in English schools, but were also worn in France and Scotland. HBC has not noted them in former British colonies like Australia, New Zdaland, and South Africa.

Cotton

Some schools use cotton shorts during the summer. This is especially common in New Zealand where many schools have summer and winter uniforms. A few English schools also have summer uniforms and a few include cotton shorts. The school shorts availanle in America or common cotton blends. Cotton drill is durable fabric used for both school dhorts and slacks. Cooon fabric is also commonly used for school gym shorts.

Flannel

School shorts were intitially primarily made of flannel. This remained the most common material through the 1950s. HBC is unsure about why flannel was such a popular material, but believes that flannel was probably so widely used because this was the common wool fabric for suits at that time. Flannel is an especially effective weave for conserving body warmth, even light-weight flannel material.

Leather

Although not used for uniforms, many Austrian and German boys wore leather lederhosen to school. Proper lederhosen were of course made of leather. Some shortpants with lederhosen styling have been made with other materials, but real lederhosen are made of leather. The German word comes from "leder" meaning leather and "hosen" meaning pants. The topic of the leather used for lederhosen is addresses in the lederhosen sectin of HBC.

Tweed

Some schools used a type of herringbone tweed or other wool fabric. Even in the 1980s some preparatory schools still had them.

Terylene

Terylene is a trademark name for a synthetic fabric. It was the first wholly synthetic fibre invented in Britain. Gradually after World War II (1939-45), synthetic fibers were introduced in the manufacture of clothing. The most popular fabric in England proved to be Terylene/wool, a blended weave including wool and nylon. A tehnical more precise definition is a polymer (polyethylene terephthalate--PET). It is comnparable to dacron in America. Terylene was produced by polymerizing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. It was a streachy material characterized by lightness and crease resistance. Terylene fabric had many variesd uses. Manufacturrs used it to produce pants, suits, amd rainwear. It was also used in making heavy shirts. Other non-clothingb uesc included sheets, ropes, rugs,and sails. It was was was used to produce both short and long pants. Shorts made of this material had a much smarter look as they retained the crease even without ironing. Today the most common material is a polyester/viscose cloth which is entirely man made. The Terylene mix in the material used in British made shorts was generally 65 percent polyester/35 percent viscose mix, with only a very small variation on this. The heavier, warmer more expensive shorts are normally 55 percent polyester/45 percent wool. The typical differing in trade and manufacturing names means that clothing produced in South Africa for retail in that country are labelled as Trevira and Viscose (in a 65/35 percent mix). For school shorts in Britain, Terylene was usually done in grey shades, but any color could be produced. Terylene as used in trousrs is a blended wool fabric often called Terylene worsted. It had a dressy look. They were worn with matching coats in a suit combination or with colored blazers. For every day wear at school Terylene shorts were commonly worn with sweaters called jumpers. A few British schools had summer cotton shorts, but at most schools, Terylene shorts were worn both in the winter ad summer. It was more cotton in New Zealand toi change to cotton shorts during the summer.

Created: October 15, 2000
Last updated: 8:37 AM 6/8/2012