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We still have very little Canadian catalog information from the 1960s. A HBC reader has provided us a 1965 catlog item for a garter waist which shows that long stockings were still being worn in Canada (especially in Quebec and other French-speaking areas of Canada) as late as mid-60s, a decade later than in America. This item appeared in a Simpson's catalog. Simpson's was an important Canadian clothing retailer (including children's clothing) during the 1960s. It was not a very prominant advertisement, but it does show that long stockings and garter waists were still being marketed.
Simpson's was an important Canadian clothing retailer (including children's clothing) during the 1960s.
A HBC reader has provided us a 1965 catlog item for a garter waist which shows that long stockings were still being worn in Canada (especially in Quebec and other French-speaking areas of Canada) as late as mid-60s, a decade later than in America. This item appeared in a Simpson's catalog. It was not a very prominant advertisement, but it does show that long stockings and garter waists were still being marketed.
This category applies to a broad variety of devices for holding up long stockings. Theoretically it would apply to any garment worn on the upper body used for this purpose (including underwaists, pantywaists, and suspender waists). But HBC uses the term to apply specifically to waists with hose supporters already attached, even though in some cases these supporters are detachable. Most of these garments are designed to have the strain of the garters carried by the child’s shoulders. Some have waistbands and some do not, but all are worn under the outer clothing and therefore as a species of children’s underwear. One of the first such garments we notice was in the Sears 1902 catalog Sears refers to a "combination belt and supporter, but the garment was essentially a garter waist. The use of different terms somewhat complicates the assessment if the garments. Interestingly, even when the wearing of long stockings was supposedly declining in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a proliferation of styles of garter waist became very prominent in the Sears and Wards catalogs of this period. We have more different styles for this period than for any other on HBC. A good example is the Sears 1939 garter waists.
Both long stockings and gater waists were disappearing in Canada during the 1960s. In fact this is the latest catalog indication that we have archived showing that they were still being sold. One factor is that they had largely gine out of style by the 60s ad were seen as old fashioned. Another factor is that by the 60s tights were available and become popular, but only for girls.
we suspect that by 1965 long stockings and garter waists were mostly wrn by girls, although we do not have any actual evidence of this. We note that in the catlog item here that both boy and girl models were used. This does not tell us, however, who the garments were actually purcased for, boys or girls.
One style, worn by a girl model, has four single garters, two in front and two in back, with no waist band but with a connecting piece between the two shoulder straps, front and back, to hold the waist in place. This waist is entirely elastic in construction throughout. The hose supporters are adjustable for length. The other more traditional style, worn by the boy, has a waist belt that closes in front, two shoulder straps that cross in the rear, and a pair of adjustable Y-shaped supporters with double clasps in front. This waist is a modern version of the famous Dr. Parker garter waist popular in the United States and Canada from about 1910 to 1945, and has a non-elastic belt and shoulder straps with elastic supporters attached. Although a boy and girl are shown modeling different styles of garter waists, one should not infer that one style is for girls and the other for boys. A boy or a girl could wear either style (as is clear from similar styles shown in American catalogs). But it is interesting nevertheless that the advertiser wanted to make it clear through the double image that garter waists were for both genders even as late as 1965. The long stockings sold in the same catalog show that these were sold for both boys and girls so that garter waists would be needed by both.
One interesting feature of these garter waists is that they are shown being worn with light-weight summer-style, sleeveless, brief-styled short-leg underwear--an indication that the long stockings are being worn more for formality than for warmth. In Catholic schools and orphanages, long stockings with short trousers were often required for reasons of modesty, and boys often wore long stockings for religious ceremonies such as First Communion.
The catalog item shows garter waists for both boys and girls as well as pin-on supporters. The pin-on garters were available in either black or white, are made of wide cotton tape at the top with elastic pendants (with rubber-covered buttons on the clasps), and safety-pins for attachment to underwaists. The garter waists are offered in two different styles and suitable for either boys or girls. There are no buttons on these waists for additional clothing. The sole function in both cases is the support of full-length long stockings, which are shown as being of light color (beige or tan).
The models used in the illustrations are quite young children. The age sizes of these garter waists range from 4 to 12 years.
The ad copy provides some useful information.
The catalog ad copy read, "Cotton tapes with elastic at bottom, rubber covered garters. With pins. Black or white. Baabies, Children's or Misses' sizes. 58 V 582--Pair 29 cents."
The catalog ad copy read, "Washable white elastic. 2 to 4 years; 6 to 8 years; 10 to 12 years. 58 V 580--Price 79 cents.
The catalog ad copy read, "of adjustable white cotton and elastic with adjustable suspenders [= hose supporters]. Ages 4, 6, 8, 10 years. 58 V 581--Price 75 cents. [N.B. This ad uses the term
"suspenders" to refer to hose supporters, using British rather than American terminology. In Britain suspenders for trousers are referred to as "braces."]
White the Simpson's caalog was in Englsh, a reader believes that long stockings and garter waists were primarily aimed at Canada's French-peaking population. Long stockings continued to be worn in
French Canada and other religiously conservative parts of the country for as much as two decades after they had ceased to be fashionable in the United States. In this respect, French Canada seems similar to
the very un-Catholic East Germany, the Soviet Unin and parts of eastern Europe.
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