|
Most First Communion suits in America during the inter-war period had knickers. The knickers suits were both above and below the knee knickers. We also notice several short pants suits, especially in the 1930s. We notice very few knee pants or long pants suits.
Some boys may have worn knee pants suits in the early-1920s, mostly younger boys,but we do not believe that it was very common. Most American boys began wearing knickers in the 1910s.
Early in the 1920s, above the knee knickers were
often worn, usually with long stockings. Knickers that bloused out were sometimes called
"plus fours" (especially in England). This was a particularly common
term in Britain. The knickers commonly worn in the 1930s were more
tightly styled. By the mid-1920s, knickers
buckling below the knee were becoming more common. It was still
common in the 1920s to wear long stockings for dress occasions rather
than the more casual-looking kneesock. Unlike European boys, American
boys did not commonly wear solid color kneesock. Thus often the
boys in the early 1920s wearing solid colored dark socks are wearing
long stockings rather than kneesocks. This was still seen in the 1930s, but was not very common.
Some boys had long pants suits, but they were not nearly as common as the knicker suits. The long pants suit were rarely all white, presumably because there would be little use forvan all white long pants suit after the First Communion service. Long pants suits became more common in the 1940s, although gradually after the 1940s boys began wearing more informal outfits for First Communion, white shirts and slacks instead of a suit. Girls continued to wear very formal white dresses. During the inter-war era, however, long pants were not very common for First Communion, especially in the 1920s. They became somewhat more common in the 1930s.
Some boys wore short pants suit, but in America the knicker suits were much more common than was the case in Europe The short pants suit were often white suits worn with white kneesocks. The white short pants suits appear to have been more common than white knicker suits. More commonly the knicker suits were dark suits. HBC is not sure wehy this was, but may be because white short pants suits were more commonly purchased specifically for the First Communion service.
Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main American First Communion inter-war garment page]
[Return to the Main American First Communion inter-war page]
[Return to the Main U.S. First Communion page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Essays]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[The 1920s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Short pants suits]
[Blazers]
[Jackets]
[Kilts]
[Sailor suits]
[Sailor hats]
[Ring bearer/page costumes]
[Shortalls]
