Figure 1.--Dressy outfits for Dutch boys in the 1930s included an interesting mixture of old and new styles. Note the Peter Pan collar and ornamental buttons on the shorts looking like kneepants in this 1935 ad for sewing patterns. Note the sash and large bow on the girl's dress. |
The drawing provided here is not an advertisement for readmade clothes, but an illustration from an important Dutch news magazine, Katholieke Illustratie as a page out of a fashion-album called "Zomerpracht" ("Beauty of Summer"). Patterns for the shirts and pants illustrated could be ordered, but even the illustration of the shoes and socks offer some fashion insights.
The accompaning Dutch text is not available other than a description of the outfit:
"Blouse-pakje, hooggesloten. Wit kraagje, stropdas, korte broek". This would translate as
"blouse-suit, high fastening. White collar, tie, short pants."
The boy in the illustration looks to be 8-10 years old. The girl is drawn smaller, but looks older. We are not sure, however, what sizes in which the patterns were available.
The article focussed on the boys' and shirts and pants and the sewing patterns were available for these garments. The shoes and socks illustrated, however, also provide some information. A girl's dress is also shown in the illustration here.
Interestingly there are no caps or hats illustrated.
The boy's striped tie seems rather small.
The boy wears a dark-colored shirt. I'm not sure what colors would have been fashionable. The shirt has a destinctive white contrasting Peter Pan collar which is worn with a tie. The contrasting white is repated at the cuffs. The Peter Pan cpllar suggests that this was a style for a younger boy, but the tie suggests not a very young boy. The article does not use the term shirt, but rather "blouse-pakje" or blouse jacket.
The pants are a little unusal for 1935. They are short pants which appear to match the color of the shirt. They are trimmed with three ornamental buttons at the oants hem. HBC believe that this was done to give them a formal, dressy look--rather like kneepants. They are much shorter, however, than actual kneepants. Agaon this is likely to be a style that would have been worn by a younger boy.
The boy wears turn-over-top kneesocks. They look white like the girl's kneesocks. HBC hasnot noted, however, white kneesocks with patterened tops. Probably they were light grey, I'm not sure about the color of the top pattern.
The boy wears low-cut lace-up oxfords.
The girl's diamond pattern dress has a sash and and very large back bow. There are bows on her shoes which look like pumps.
The boys is are pictured with a short hair cut very carefully combed.
The boy has a ball which seems rather inappropriate with his dressy suit.
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