Figure 1.---These two German brothers both wear sailor suits, but there are many differences in their outfits reflecting the differences in their ages. Click on the image for a more detailed discussion. Image courtesy of the German Hosiery Museum. |
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We note endless variations concerning the sailor suits worn by the children in German families. Some parents dressed their children in exactly the same styles without variations. Other parents selected the same basic style, but allowed for minor variations reflecting the child's gender or age. The children might, for example, wear the same sailor blouses, but with pants or skirts, depending on the child's gender. Or the parents might have the same basic style and make varying degrees of alterations associate with age. Younger boys for example might wear a suit with a ruffled collar or large bow. There were also many ways in which sailor suits could be altered to reflect age differences. And of course for some mothers any sailor suit would do. Another variation was of course who wore the sailor suits. Sometimes the whole family was done up in sailor suits. In other cases it was just the boys. Or the boys and girls wore different styles. Of course here age was a factor. Even in a family where the children all wore sailor suits, the older children would normally wear other styles.
Some parents dressed their children in exactly the same styles without variations. Other parents selected the same basic style, but allowed for minor variations reflecting the child's gender or age. The children might, for example, wear the same sailor blouses, but with pants or skirts, depending on the child's gender. Or the parents might have the same basic style and make varying degrees of alterations associate with age. Younger boys for example might wear a suit with a ruffled collar or large bow. There were also many ways in which sailor suits could be altered to reflect age differences. And of course for some mothers any sailor suit would do. Coordinating sailor suits mean that the suits all probably had to be bought at the same time.
Another variation was of course who wore the sailor suits. Sometimes the whole family was done up in sailor suits. In other cases it was just the boys. The sailor suit was most common for boys, but quite a number of girls wore them. While sometimes the boys wore sailor suits and the girls did not, it was rare for the girls to wear them and the boys to wear other styles. Or the boys and girls wore different styles. Of course here age was a factor. Even in a family where the children all wore sailor suits, the older children would normally wear other styles.
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