Figure 1.--Here we see a group of German boys after World War I in 1923. Oy looks to us like a school group of some kind, perhaps Gymnasium students. The young man in the center is probably their tutor. The boys look about 12-13 years old. Most of the boys wear suits, but note their informality with open collars. Several boy wear Schiller (sports) collars. Two boys wear sailor suits. The boys seem to be mostly wearing short pants, although we can see the boys in the back row. Some of the boys wear three-quarter socks and long stockings.

The German inter-war era included two destinct periods, the Weimar Republic (1919-33) and the NAZI era (1933-45). Clothing after World War I bcame much more casual and this was clearly observeable in Weimar fashions during the 1920s. German boys' fashions changed significantly as was the case in other European countries. Sailor suits continued to be widely worn, but not as commonly in the early 20th century. Boys attire changed from kneepants to short pants in the 1920s. Boys especially in the 1920s commonly wore long over-the-knee stockings, both for warmth and formal occassions. We see many of the early 20th century fashions disappear as more modern-looking outfits became invreasingly popular. German boys' fashions changed significantly as was the case in other European countries. Sailor suits continued to be widely worn, but not as commonly in the early 20th century. Boys attire changed from kneepants to short pants in the 1920s. Boys especially in the 1920s commonly wore long over-the-knee stockings, both for warmth and formal occassions. The NAZIs are not normally associated with fashions other than uniform, but they had destinct fashion notions. Both popularity of sailor suits and sandals declined during the NAZI era. We are not entire sure how NAZI fashion preferences became converted into actual popular fashions.

Weimar Republic (1919-32)

Clothing after World War I bcame much more casual and this was clearly observeable in Weimar fashions during the 1920s. German boys' fashions changed significantly as was the case in other European countries. Sailor suits continued to be widely worn, but not as commonly in the early 20th century. Boys attire changed from kneepants to short pants in the 1920s. Boys especially in the 1920s commonly wore long over-the-knee stockings, both for warmth and formal occassions. A good view of formal boys attire can be seen by looking at the outfits Catholic boysd wore for their First Communion. Kneesocks were, however, becoming more common. The shorts tended to be realatevly long in the 1920s and even into the early 30s when the Weimar Republic was seized by the NAZIs. At the same time kneesocks conntinued to be very common. Many boys wore sandals. In some case single bar strap shoes, but English style "T"-strap sandals were also common.

NAZI Era (1933-45)

German boys' fashions changed significantly as was the case in other European countries. Sailor suits continued to be widely worn, but not as commonly in the early 20th century. Boys attire changed from kneepants to short pants in the 1920s. Boys especially in the 1920s commonly wore long over-the-knee stockings, both for warmth and formal occassions. Boys began wearing shorter shorts in the 1930s, usually with kneesocks. Dressy kneesocks were often white. Sandals were rarely worrn except by very little boys. Sailor suits declined in popularity. Lederhosen became increasingly common. I'm not sure to what extent the NAZI party influenced boys' clothing. The Hitler Youth became an important part of a boy's life by the mid-1930s. The uniform may have affected boys' clothing in general. Some boys wore their Hitler Youth uniform to school or even to formal events. We are not entire sure how NAZI fashion preferences became converted into actual popular fashions.

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Created: 9:53 PM 4/12/2008
Last updated: 9:53 PM 4/12/2008