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Freemans offered an extensive line of boys' clothes in its 1974 catalog. We have little information about the company at this time. Freemans offered three styles of long-sleeve coloared shirts for younger boys in both solid colors and prints. They are notable for the large collars, a popular 1970s style. They were done in sizes 4-8. There were also coordinated short and long pants with fashionable details and belts done in sizes 2/4-8. No alternative colors were offerred.
Freemans offered an extensive line of boys' clothes in its 1974 catalog. We have no information about the company at this time. Hopefully our British readers will provide some information about the company. A British reader tells us, "This page brings back memories when I was a lad in the 1970s. I was 6-12 and my mum always bought my shorts
and grey knee socks from freemans catalogues." Notice that for most of the items in the 1974 catalog, Freeman's choose models who are at the upper end of the age-range for that item. I guess they thought that boys wouldn't want an item modelled by someone younger than themselves. We notice that Freemans often in its offring did not provide color alternatives. This was almost always the case in American catalogs like Sears and Wards.
Freemans here offers several different styles of shirts and short and long pants (figure 1).
Freemans offered three styles of collared long-sleeve shirts in sizes 4, 6, and 8. The first was a nursery rhyme print. The ad copy read, "A. Nursery rhyme print shirt fashionably styled with black darts and rounded botom. Washable. Material: polyester an cotton. Colour: white and royal." The second shirt was a plain blue shirt. The ad copy read, "B. Double rows of navy top stitching add extra interest to this classic shirt in shadow weave. Washable. Material: cotton. Colour: blue." The third shirt was done in an airplane print. The ad copy read, "C. Stylish shirt in exciting aeroplane print with darted back and rounded bottom. Washable. Material: polyester and cotton. Colour: navy print."
Freemns on this page offred two style of short pants with Continental styling, all done in sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8. Mny of these shorts in the 1970s had fussy littlke details not found on classic continental shorts. The first pair had a self belt. The ad copy read, "D. A shiny belt through buttoned loops, tops these continental-style shorts. Elasticated back, fully lined in nylon. washable. Material: sueded cotton. The second pair was a plir pair, but also with a self-belt. The ad copy read, "G. Continental cut shorts with stitched front creases. Matching belt. Elasticated back waist band. Fully lined in cotton. washable. Material: polyester and viscose. Colour: light blue."
Freemans also offerred a pair of checked long pants in sizes 4-8. The ad copy read, "F. Boldly checked trousers styled with slit pockets and elasticated back waist and finished with shiny navy belt. washable. Colour: navy and turquoise check."
We notice references to "continental-style shorts" in Britain. A reader writes, "When English boys stopped wearing "culottes anglaises", what they wore were
described as "continental-style shorts". At the same time as the Brits were looking to the continent for fashion ideas, the French started dressing their boys in longer
culottes anglaises. It's funny how they admired each other's styles, yet they couldn't manage to both dress the same way at the same time." English schoolboys and Cubs in
the 1970s wore continental-styled shorts. We notice that there was no reference to any specific continental country, perhaps because the
shorter-cut shots were so common throughout Europe. We believe, however, that France was an especially important fashion influence.
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