Figure 1.--This adverisement appeared in a 1959 French newspaper showing a wide range of infant outfits. The romper suits in sizes up to about 4 years for boys. The girls might wear culottes bloomers, romper-style bloomer pants under a dress or smock. We thought outfit "E" was for a girl, but a French reader tells us that it was for as bopy as was outfit "F".

Rompers and related bloomer styled pants outfits were a style for boys. Boys wore both rompers (barboteuses) and the related style of bloomer shorts ( culottes bloomers). The culottes bloomers were somewhat similar to rompers, but should not be confused with them. A boy very young boy might wear cullotte bloomers with a dress or smock. The bloomer pants grather gave the outfit a look of a romper suits. The girls, however, did not wear full romper suits and alwats wore dresses. Bloomer pants were less common for the girls. The boys always wore romper suits, although the some of the boys romper outfits such as button-on rompers were essentually just bloomer bottoms. The mater is further confused by the fact that boys sometimes wore smocks over their rompers.

Standard Boys' Rompers

The romper outfit was exclusivley a style for little boys. According to our French source, rompers were never worn by girls. He writes, "The French mentality at the time did not permit changing boys' garments to girls wear. A 1955 magazine article "Femmes d'aujourd'hui" asked, "Why not a romper for a girl?" The article even gave a description of one, it seems without succes. Romper suits were only for boy and in this time a girl dressed in a romper would have been like a boy in a dress! I'm not sure when romopers first appeared for the girls. it may have been in the 1980s.

Culottes Bloomers

Standard boys rompers should not be confused with culottes bloomers, although there is some similarity. The culottes bloomers were somewhat similar to rompers, but should not be confused with them. A boy very young boy might wear cullotte bloomers with a dress or smock frock. The top part of this garment set was called " une blouse " and the bottom " une culotte bloomer ". The 1959 advertisement here shows clearly different styles for boys and girls (figure 1). This style was very popular in the early and mid-1960s. One reader reports that sales were especially good in 1965. Rompers or barboteuse for the boys (item F) and culottes bloomers for boys worn under a dress or smock (item E). They were practicly the same outfit for girl ; but insted the blouse they was a short dress , and the puffed pant was replaced by a little bloomer ( that means the bloomer hadn't button crotch and the waist had only a elasticated without one or two buttons as the boy' bloomer had ). This fashion " costume bloomer " for boys was ppoular for many years. It began about 1958 till early 1970 . This model took place insted the rompers . The sizes were 1 till 4 years. Themost popular colors were blue, yellow, and to a lesser extent white. A French reader writes, "I remember also it was offerd in pink-baby; always for boy." The material was the " piqué " the " velour " the mothers could also bought it in " Boussac " and " Vichy ". It was a suit for every day wear, but there were dressy versions for special events such as Baptism and Sunday outings. This little garment was also a popular present in the 1960s. That is recommended in the description in the La Redoute catalog seen here (figure 1). A French reader estimates that 80 percent of little French boys 1-3 years old had one of these culotte bloomer outfits and even some 4 year olds in the 1960s. A French reader writes, "My son wore some "costume bloomer " in 1969-70. This fashion was in force around the 1963-66 , then declined in the early 1970 for a new fashion called ' costume baby '. My son also wore several costume baby outfits in 1970-71."

Girls' Outfits

The girls, however, did not wear full romper suits and alwats wore dresses. Bloomer pants were less common for the girls. About the bloomer for girl. The girls wore quite rarely a bloomer under their dress , they had practicly always a white underpant ( Petit Bateau ) . Till the 1960s the colored underpant were admit only for girls-teenager or adult .

Bloomers

A HBC reader reports that in France he begins to see the word "bloomer" appeared after 1922. [HBC believes that this is rather a late appearance of the term in French as it originated in America during the 19th century.] It is true thar bloomer or romper-style pants were worn by baby boys for some time. He points to the revue (magazine) Le moniteur de la mode 1901 which has such a description . Perhaps the "caleçon court" was mistaken for the "slip" for boy and "culotte" or "petite culotte" for girl. Young boys in the 1900s might wear these bloomers under their dresses if they had not yet been breeched. After World War I (1914-18) this style conntinued for girls while boys began wearing romper suits without dresses.

Costume Baby

The outfit for younger boys after the culotte bloomer declined in popularity was the " costume baby ". There were two different styles. There were: 1) Les costumes à culotte droite ( 1-5 years ) and 2) Les costumes à culottes dos bouffant ( 1-3 years ). Many manufacturers made these outfits. HBC has archived some of these outfits. already had 2 or 3 photos of this garment