Figure 1.-- We note a variety of junior suits offered in 1940. These were generally made for boys up to about 6 years of age. They included both blouses and coordinated pants and jacketed suits. Eton jackets were especially popular for younger boys. Shorts were popular for summer wear, but long pants were increasingly popular for winter wear. A good example is the Macy's summer junior suits offered in it's summer catalog. Macy's offered a variety of small boys suits. Today they would be closer to children's clothes up to about 3-4 years. Notice one has a ruffle collar and button on pants which is designed to make the boy look young, but as Macy's explain "not sissy".

This Masy's catalog page was headed, From Macy's wide choice od small boys' suits for school, dress, and play." We note a variety of junior suits offered in 1940. These were generally made for boys up to about 6 years of age. They included both blouses and coordinated pants and jacketed suits. Eton jackets were especially popular for younger boys. Shorts were popular for summer wear, but long pants were increasingly popular for winter wear. A good example is the Macy's summer junior suits offered in it's summer catalog. Macy's offered a variety of small boys suits. Today they would be closer to children's clothes up to about 3-4 years. Notice one has a ruffle collar and button on pants which is designed to make the boy look young, but as Macy's explain "not sissy".

Macy's

Macy was one of the best known Newyor Department stores. The competion between Macy and Gimbles was one of the classical competitions in retailing. It was memoralized in the wonderful Christms film, "Miricle on 34th Street". The film features Macy's famed toy department. Macy's was more upscale than Sears and not quite as upscale as Best & Company. Macey also had a catalog, but no where as extensive as Sears or Wards. We have very little informtin about Macey's catalog business. While Macey began as a New York Department Store it expanded in the 1990s, taking over many local deparment store chins. It is now the most imporant deprtment store chain in America, eclipsing Sears in the 2000s.

Seasonality

This is clearly a catalog for light-weight summer cllothes. It could be a spring-summer catalog, here we are not sure as we do n0t have the title page. THis was page 12.

Suits

Today the term "suits" has the connotation of a dressy outfit consisting of a jacket (often called a coat) and matching pants (often called trousers). A three-piece suit means a mtching vest. Suits for younger boys at the time commonly meant a blouse or shit which was coordinated with the pants. We see that here in the Macy's 1940 summer catalog. These junior suits with coordinated blouses/shirts and pants were not necessarily dressy outfits. They could be for special occassions, but often they were made as play suits. School was another possibility, but the age group here was primarily pre-school ages.

Suit Selection

This Masy's catalog page was headed, "From Macy's wide choice od small boys' suits for school, dress, and play." We note creeper outfits for infants and suits for somewhat older boys, both blouse suits and jacketed suits. The blouse/shirt suits are also called "sets" in period catalogs and is probably a better term to use. They are all short pants outfits, both becuse of the age of the boys and the fact that these were summer outfits. Note that none or worn with knee socks.

Infant creeper outfits

We note two outfits for infants. Macy's refers them as "creepers". Creepers were one-piece garments by infants. Here te age range has varied. Macy's creepers were for children up to 3 years of age. Modern creepers often do not include the 3 year olds. They usually have snap openings in the crotch to facilitate changing of diapers as children this age commonly are not toilet trained yet. These Macy's creepers are for boys, but modern creepers are made for both boys and girls.

Blouse/shirt sets

Macy's offered what they call suits for boys 2-6 years old. By suits they meant sets which had blouses/shirts cotdinated with pants. These outdits are also called "sets" in period catalogs. This is probably a better term to use to avoid confusion because the modern term "suit" is no longer used for outfits like this. These sets were very common in the 1940s. We notice both shorts sets and long sts. The short sets seem more common. Most of these outfits offered by Macy's here are these short sets. The vary among button-on outfits, self-belts, and suspender shorts. The styling clear shows that most were play suits, but there are some dressy outfits as well.

Jacketed suits

Macy's also offered actual jacket suits for the 2-6 year old range. They have short Eton jackets without lapels and there is one blouse with an Eton like collar. It has an Eton shape, but is not the actual large, stiff detachable collar known as an Eton collar. One of the suits has bib-front shorts. Yhis was not very common. Suspender shorts were common, but not bib-front shorts which were more of a play garment that dress pants worn with a suit jacket. But as Macy's explains, this was a three-way suit with multiple uses.

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Created: 8:30 PM 1/10/2009
Last updated: 8:15 PM 1/11/2009