Swiss mail order catalogs and newspaper advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. I am not sure precisely when mail order catalogs first appeared in Switzerland. Presumably store catalogs appeared before mail order companies. We have very little information on the specific companies involved. I believe thatmail order was initially an American inovation, but we note German companies active throughout Europe at least by World War II. There were of course a range of clothing advertized in Swiss publications. HBC has begun collect mail order pages nd advertisements. At this time we only have catalog pages from Jelmoli, a Zurich store, during the 1930s.
We notice a variety of boys' suits in the 1900 Jelmoli catalog. They were all bloomer knicker suits, including a sailor suit.
We have some pages from the Jelmoli catalog during the 1930s. Only a few pages were devoted to boys clothing, but they provide a great deal of very useful information. The pages show boys outfits, school, smocks ( Kinder-Schürzen ), book bags and other items. Our Swiss reader points out, "I just received a Catalog form the "Grand magasins Jelmoli," Zurich for the year 1938. In it it has a few good pages relating to fashions of boys. I am going to make copies of these pages and will send them to you. Again, as Jelmoli was in Zurich, it reflects the more urban fashions. I know, that in the poor mountain sections of Switzerland such fancy clothing was not available."
We have a few pages from the Jelmoli catalog during the 1940s. Again only a few pages were devoted to children's clothes. Many of the fashions offered seemed quite similar to those offered in the 1930s, but there are notable differences. We still see boys suits done with short pants and knickers for older boys. A ranger of sweaters was offered. We see bib-front pants with short and long legs. There are rompers for other boys. And as one might expect from Switzerland, there is a page primarily devoted to ski clothing. Hosiery is mostly long stockings and kneesocks.
A Swiss reader working with calaogs writes, "My first observation, comparing the 1940s clothing to 1950s clothing in Swiss catalogs is that the 1950s clothing is much more cheerful and sporty. It seems that union-suits have tatally disappeared, but that stockings and waists still exist for kids under 10 Years. I am somewhat surprised that there are no tights in the boys section. I know that they were widely available in any Swiss store that sold boys clothing. Also, when one looks at the stockings, they started to be made out of helanca, which was the same material the tights were made out of at that time."
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing catalog/magazine pages:
[Return to the Main Swiss mail order page]
[Main photo/publishing page]
[Store catalogs]
[Fashion magazines]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main Swiss page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Bibliographies]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor hats]
[Sailor suits]
[Buster Brown suits]
[School uniform]
[Eton suits]
[Rompers]
[Tunics]
[Smocks]
[Pinafores]