Figure 1.--The Gallerie Lafayette department store in Paris during 1908 offered sailor suit outfits with both kneepants and long pants in sizes up to 14 years pf age.

French mail order catalogs and clothing advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. Boys commonly wore sailor hats ans suits. Suits styles and head gear appear to have been rather mature styles, both kneepants and long pants were available.

Headwear

Boys wore both sailor hats and caps as well as a range of what looked to us today as rather mature headwear for a boy.

Galeries Lafayette: Headwear

Galeries Lafayette, a major Paris department store, offered a wide range of caps and hats for boys. There were both a sailor cap and hat as well as styles like the English bowler and boater. There is no indication as to the age at which these caps and hats were worn. The beret is not offered.

Smocks

Rompers

We believe that rompers appeared in France during the 1900s, although our information is still scany.

Unknown romper suit

A HBC reader has provided us an illustration from a French publication. We are sure of the actual source. This is the earliest romper we have noted in French publications. e do not know whointriduced it and for that reasin can not at this time definitively substantiate the date.

Coats

Jackets

Suits

Galeries Lafayette: Suits

Paris department suits offered a wide range of suits for boys. The most popular suit style for younger boys was the sailor suit which was made in sizes up to 14 years.

Pants

Hosiery

Footwear

Shoes were mostly still hightops.

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Created: October 22, 2001
Last updated: July 20, 2003