Figure 1.--Here I am on my first day of school. I have my gidt cone which is a German tradition. Also note my leather satchel which my father and my older brotheres used when they went to school.

I began Grundschule (primary school) in 1988 at 6 years of age. This image is from my first day at school in Summer 1988. I wore a white shirt, light-blue shorts with a white belt, white kneesocks and brown leather sandals. My mum often dressed me in collared shirts with short pants and kneesocks. Until I was 10 years old, I often wore short pants, kneesocks and leather shoes to elementary school. From spring until autumn I wore often formal short pants, grey oor black in color. Only at Winter or cold days in Autumn or Spring I wore long trousers, sometimes I wore blue jeans. Sometimes in summer my parents alowed me to wear sport shorts and sneakers. No other boy wore similar outfits. Unlike me, the other boys wore casual, sporty clothes like T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. In summer many boys wore sport shorts and sandals, but no other wore kneesocks. Today I think, that I often look like a boy from the 50s or 60s. My classmates teased me about my clothes. I don`t know whether I translate it right, but I think Mummy`s Darling.

First Day at School

I began Grundschule (primary school) in 1988 at 6 years of age. This image is from my first day at school in Summer 1988. I wore a white shirt, light-blue shorts with a white belt, white kneesocks and brown leather sandals. ( I think I have to correct my old statement, that I never wore cable-weave kneesocks. I can`t remember, but it looks like that the kneesocks that I wore at first schoolday have a cable-weave. Although it wasn`t usual for this time, I remember 2 or 3 other boys who wore shorts and kneesocks, too. A few more of the girls wore kneesocks with their dresses. There were 54 children put to school at this day, including me. My brown satchel you can see at the picture is a very old one from my father. It was a little "tradition" that me and my older brother have to used them to Grundschule. At this time it was trendy to use such leather satchels for Grundschule, but this wasn`t the reason for me to use them.

My School Clothes

My mum often dressed me in collared shirts with short pants and kneesocks. Until I was 10 years old, I often wore short pants, kneesocks and leather shoes to elementary school. (German schools did not have uniforms as were common in Britain.) From spring until autumn I wore often formal short pants, grey oor black in color. Only at Winter or cold days in Autumn or Spring I wore long trousers, sometimes I wore blue jeans. Sometimes in summer my parents alowed me to wear sport shorts and sneakers. But this was not very often. I wore different color kneesocks, usually grey, black, white or blue. I never had red kneesocks. I also has patterened kneesocks with square designs or as a yuounger boy kneesocks with juvenile cartoon characters or similar designs. My mother chose kneesocks with a flat weave, not the cable weave type. German children in the 1980s and 90s did not wear turn over top socks. Only in Bavaria the boys wear white or grey knitted turn over top socks with their folk costumes.

Other Boys

No other boy wore similar outfits. Unlike me, the other boys wore casual, sporty clothes like T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. In summer many boys wore sport shorts and sandals, but no other wore kneesocks.

Teasing

Today I think, that I often look like a boy from the 50s or 60s. My classmates teased me about my clothes. I don`t know whether I translate it right, but I think Mummy`s Darling. Sometimes they called me a girl because girls wore kneesocks. The othr children called me "Muttersöhnchen", "Zuckerpuppe" or "Mädchen". [HBC note: Müttersöhnchen can be translated in French as as " Le petit garçon à sa maman " or in english as a mama's boy. This means a boy with a too attentive mother. Zuckerpuppe or Mädchen are must meaner more pejorative terms.] Mostly the boys teased me, but sometimes the girls too. The teachers didn`t really notice this. Schoolmates said it to me only at the breaks or on way to or from school. When I was older and went first year to secondary school (grade 6) I sometimes wore short pants with kneesocks and sandals. I remember that the older boys were really rude. Since grade 6 I never wore short pants and kneesocks to school again.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: March 16. 2004
Last updated: March 16. 2004