Figure 1.-

I was born in 1940 i.e. during World War II so I do not remember mything about the early 1940s. I do begin to remember about my clothes by the mid-40s. I and other boys often wore short trousers a large part of the year in the late 40s and early 50s boys. As yoou know, Norway because of its northerly location has very severe winters. When it go really cold from September till early May, we wore long stockings up to about 10-12 years of age. During the winter we usually used knickers. I guess one reason for using short trousers and long stockings was that we outgrew long trousers quickly and then short trousers were practical. You have to consider that in those days' clothes were to some extent in short supply because of the war. Also clothing was at the time relatively expensive. Also it was quite common for even well off families to be thrifty. Therefore the clothes were mended and the stockings often lengthened by knitting an extra top. The stockings were held up by garters fixed to a bodice or "liv" similar to what the Germans call "leibchen". Boys and girls used same type, but I can not remember that it was considered "girlish". As a result, pParticularly for the boys it was important to start wearing short trousers and bare knees (without the long stockings and garter supporter) as early as possible. It was always a fight with mother about when to start. Mom's of course were concerned to keep you warm for health reasons. With long stockings you could always roll them down as soon as mom was out of sight. It was the same for the girls. I think HBC is correct that Norway was strongly influenced by German styles and conventions. I note several popular German styles. The British style with short trousers and knee socks all year round was not very common here in Norway. The climate prohibited that. So the pictures of King Harald as a boy was not typical for Norwegian boys. I think his clothing was more influenced by his English grandmother Queen Maud. About 1951-52 jeans came into use. They were called "ola-bukser" - the name is still used. The first ones were made in Norway but around 1955 also American jeans were sold here. Boys and girls used same type with one main distinction - the girls always had side-zippers.

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Created: 6:03 PM 4/17/2006
Last updated: 6:03 PM 4/17/2006