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French boys began wearing short pants in the 1900s and they rapidly replaced the kneepants that boys had been wearing since the mid-19th century. Knickers continued to be commonly worn. Short pants suits generally had knee-length shorts until the 1930s when shorter cut shorts began to appear for younger boys. Older French boys began wearing the shorter style in the 1940s. A French reader reports that during this period that some mothers believed that the shorter shorts were more fashionable and often a boys's shorts for sunday and holudays were shorter than the ones he wore everyday. Older boys began increasingly to wear long pants in the 1960s, especially after 1968, the Paris student revolt. A new longer style of shorts became fashionable after the mid-1980s.
The French term "culotte" like the English word "pants" is a good example of multiple meanings for clothing terms and how how terms change over time. The principal French term for short pants is "culottes" The terminology is, however, more complicated than that. Some French sources suggest the word "culote" being used for pants in general and not necesarily short pants. Through much of the 20th century, "culotte" in France meant short pants. Until the 1970s one said "une culotte" for boys' short pants and also the underwear pants for girl, rather like the British use the term knickers. In all older fashion magazines, even for sport, the term culotte was normally used. A French reader who wa a boy in the 1940s-50s, tells us, "My parents and family only used the term culotte." The French adopted the English term "un short" meaning shorts for sport or seaside activity. A related term was "un slip" meaning underwear briefs. Since 1970-80 usage has changed. Now "une culotte courte" is used for short pants with somewhat the sence of a of a petit garçon modèle or model child. The term "un short" now is much more common and used to describe any pair of short panys, including formal, dressy, casual, atletic/sports, ect. This is the term used by the new generation who rarely say cilotte any more. The older generatin often still uses the formerly common terms like culotte and slip.
HBC is not sure about the origins of short pants in France. Shorts appear to have been popularized in Ebgland by the adoption of shorts first by the British Army in India and then by Baden Powells Scouts. Presumably the Scouts were also an important factor in France, but we are unsure if other influences are involved. The French version of Wikepedia suggests, "Les hygiénistes de la fin du XIXe siècle ont lancé une mode, celle de les faire porter aux enfants et aux jeunes. Cette mode s'est implantée au cours du début du XXe siècle, pour culminer des années 1920 aux 1940." (Hygienists at the end of the 19th century launched a fashion, of having children anf youth wear short pants. This fashion was established during the beginning of the 20th century and culminated during 1920-40." The author attributes short pants to hygienists, but does not source this claim or offer the names of any individuals. We suspect that social trends and fashion were more important as well as pracicality at a time whn clothing was realtively more expensive than it is today. But this is only speculation at this tome.
French boys began wearing short pants in the 1900s and they rapidly replaced the kneepants that boys had been wearing since the mid-19th century. Kneepants were still common in the 1910s. Boys shorts continued to be knee length until shoert styles began to appear in the mid-1920s. Knickers continued to be commonly worn. Short pants suits generally had knee-length shorts until the 1930s when shorter cut shorts began to appear for younger boys. Older French boys began wearing the shorter style in the 1940s. French photogrphers Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson provide many images of French boys wearing short pants over a range of years. Older boys began increasingly to wear long pants in the 1960s, especially after 1968, the Paris student revolt. A new longer style of shorts began to become fashionable in the 1970s. French boys were frequently wearing knee-length shorts by the early-1970s. The main differences from the styles of today was that they didn't go below the knee, and they were narrow instead of baggy. A HBC reader tells us about a French exchange student in England.
A French reader reports that during this period that some mothers believed that the shorter shorts were more fashionable and often a boys's shorts for Sunday and holudays were shorter than the ones he wore everyday. Boys in the early 20th century might wear short pants all year round. Gradually boys began to wear knickers or long pants during the winter. Boys in the 1940s after thewar did not have extensive wardrobe, but might have at least oone party outfit, normally with short pants. French boys in the 1960s and 70s wore short cut short pants. The British called them continental shorts, but the term was not used in France. Boys under 10 wore these short cut shorts. A French readr writes, " It true around 1970, many boy less 10 yrs were dressed in very short pant. It was the case of my son. My wife purchased short pants were made in Jersey as she did not approve of synthetic fibers. It was the time of mini-skirts for girls." One reader writes that these short pants lost crease, but we can not yet confirm this. Shorts were worn by younger boys for dress wear, but increasingly by the 1970s they were seen as casual wear for the summer. At first shorts were worn for school and when a little worn were used for play. Oftem shorts worn for school might become a boys play shorts. Beginning in the 1960s mothers began purchasing shorts specifically forplay and this was common convention by the 1970s. Mothers in increasingly prosperous France actually purchase specialized play and dresss shorts.
The ages of boys wearing short trousers has varied over time. We do not yet have complete details on the ages at which boys commonly wore shorts. Many younger boys before beginning school wore rompers in the 1920s-40s. Primary-school age boys mostly wore shorts until the 1960s. Many younger teenagers also wore shorts trough the 1940s. Most boys by age 16 were wering knickers or long pants. In the 1960s longs pants becamr more common for younger teenager, but younger boys still commonly wore shorts. By the 1970s even primary age boys were commonly wearing long pants, but might have shorts for casual wear during the summer, but they had become less common for older boys.
HBC has noted a variety of shorts worn by French boys. We have little information yet on the types worn in the early 1900s. Mpre information is available on the shorts worn at mid-century.Younger boys might wear button-on or suspender shorts. We have noted jean and cord shorts in the 1970s cut very shortly. Even German style lederhosen were popular for a time in the 1970s. We have noted that several catholic schools had blur school uniform shorts which were also popular with some choirs.
The first short pants worn by French boys, as with other European boys, were quite long, little different than kneepants. Shorts were worn at knee-length through the 1920s. Shorter cut shorts appeared for younger boys in the 1930s and by the 1940s short cut shorts were quite common for younger boys. Shorts began to decline in popularity during the 1960s, but the shorts that were wirn by the 1970s were geberally very short. A new style of long shorts appeared on the 1990s, often worn with cuffs.
Short pants were primarily a boys' garment. Through the 1920s, girls did not normally wear pants of any kind--including short pants. By the 1930s, a girl might wear shorts for sport or at the seaside, but they remained parimarily a boy's garment through the 1950s. The cut of girls' shorts were not the same as the short pants worn by boys.
French mothers considered the creases in short pants to be very impotant for a good look. Before the 1960s, creases in the pants were very important. Almost all images of well dressed boys show them wearing short pants with sharp creases. A French reader reports, "My mother saved a pair of short pants that I wore about 1951. They are a good example of how important creases were in short pants during the 1950s. These wool models had the creases sewn over casting to give a better smart appearence. They are still almost new."
A Canadian reader in reporting on a French film, "Le Château de ma mère" ("My Mother's Castle") (France, 199?), where boys wore short pants even during the winter writes, "On looking at the film, without any explanations, this customs
seems unusual to us today. I can explain this convention. the first come from an
American anthropologist who lived for a year at Roussillon, a little village in
Provence. About bare knees and covered faces, here is his quote: 'The child
needs not to be scaring cold or warm. When he begins to walk, he is always in
wool knitted garments: socks, pants, sweater, scarf. When on warmer days in
spring, they are still wearing their woolen garments. But, he is always bare legs.
Frequently, we see young toddlers playing outdoors in a winter freeezing wind,
well wrapped up, with an heavy scarf worn round neck and with knees blueished
by cold weather. It seems that the neck is the most delicate body part - which is
the most well protected part - with, at the same time knees and legs needing no
special attention.' [Wylie] I ask this question to Véronique a friend who lives in
Périgord in the Southwest of France. She answered me: ' The use of scarf is
needed because in the neck, there are large superficial vessels which are
proneness to lose their warming balance faster."
Cauhape, Véronique. St-Seurin-de-Prats, Périgord, France. An interview August 10, 2003.
Wylie, Laurence. Village in the Vaucluse (Boston, Mass., 1957). French translation, Un village en Vaucluse (Paris: Gallimard, 1968).
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