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French mail order catalogs and clothing advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. We note a wide range of suits for juvenile boys and older boys offered by the Louvre department store in Paris. We also notice different detachable colors. Kneepants were still being worn. Advertisments showed a variety of new smock styles. There were many distinctive styles for girls. Some smocks were worn by boys and girls. Shirts were still made with detachable collars. The Louvre catalog provides a great deal of useful information. "Notice that a suit for boys to age 16 years has short trousers and only the sailor suit has long pants but in each case it is offered with short pants too. Also there is an underwaist sold for boys through age 10. Also blouses which almost resemble tunics were sold through age 13 (page 80). Very different than in United States. Notice all the sailor suits called Marin. One is a knit version that resembles a modified tunic suit and goes from ages 2 to 14 (page 82). Long stockings for sports are shown as well as heavy knit knee length under drawers and a knit button front shirt (psage 83). The same page has a large assortment of ties. More than would be shown on Wards or Sears for the same year. Also notice that on page 74 night shirts for boys Chemise de nuit and combination (one piece pjs) are offered for boys (page 74). There is something called combination for day for up to 12 year olds (page 86). This looks something like a one piece play suit in the U.S. catalogs. Also on page 86 are many shirts to age 16 from 2 or 3 to age 16 which did not happen in the U.S. (page 86) The styles were different for such a
large age range."
Advertisments showed a variety of new smock styles. There were many distinctive styles for girls. Some smock styles were worn by boys and girls. This included back buttoning smocks that tied in a bow at the back. We do not tend to see many of these varied styles being worn in schools. Plain black smocks seem nore common.
The Paris department store Au Printemps offered several different smocks in a February 9 newspaper advertisement. Most were for girls, but one back buttoning gingham smock could be worn by boys and girls. Some of these smocks do not appear to be school smocks. They included styles that we have not norted before World War I (1914-18). They were generally short cut smocks compared to the realtively long smocks worn before the War.
The Lovre department store offered differnt styles of childrens smocks in 1924. The store used the term "tabloer". One style for boys was a "tablier cullote" meaning smock shorts. The ad copy does not include any clues as to gender suitability, but the models used in the illustration suggest one was for girls and the other for boys. Sizes varied but the largest size was for the girls' smock. Note the children are pictured with white smocks and strap shoes.
We note a wide range of suits for juvenile boys and older boys. There were a range of styles for younger boys. There were a variety of styles like Norfolk suits for older boys. Sailor suits were still popular.
Shirts were still made with detachable collars.
The Paris department store Au Printemps offered two types of detabable collars for shirts. wearing a crisp collar was still a common style in 1924.
Most of the illustrations in the Lourve catalog depict the boys wearing short socks or kneesocks. A few also show boys wearing long stockings. A reader writes, "Please notice that some of the older boys (7 through 12) are depicted wearing long stockings which are sold in some of the pages (pages 80 and 81)."
Nightshirts were still commonly worn although pajamas also were available.
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