|
American boys wore a variety of hosiery in 1941. Ankle socks had become the primary hosiery worn by boys, in part because long pants were becoming increasingly common. We commonly see socks with color stripes or to a lesser extent argyles. Knee socks were declining in popularity, primarily because knickers were rapidly going out of style. Boys increasingly wore ankle socks, both with short and long pants. Some boys wote knee socks with short pants, but not very many and this was often when dressing up. Some younger boys still wore long stockings, sometimes referred to as full-length stockings, during the winter, but this was also becoming increasingly less common because fewer boys were wearing short pants during the winter. Girls continued to wear them a little longer. The catalogs show what hosiery was available. And we note long stockings were still featured prominently in major catalogs wih modeled images. The photographic record is, however, a better indicator of what was being worn. This is especially important at times like the early-1940s when fashions were changing. We notice Sears reusing images in their long stocking offerings. And Wards had some new offerings that did not prove very popular. Eventually catalog companies reflect popular demand and items that do not sell rapidly disappear in the catalogs.
We noted fancy knitted sicks pattern in a Chadwick knitting booklet. They were knitted to mastch caps and mittens. We think that mothers probably liked this idea more than boys. We have no details but we suspect that by the 1940s, a very small part of the hosiery worn by boys was knitted at home.
The Spring 1941 Sears catalog offered long stockings for both boys and girls. This style was marketed for both boys and girls in sizes up to 10 years. They were available in different grades the colors were black; dark, medium, and light tan; brownstone; and other neutarl colors and white.
This is another illustration of full-length or long stockings from the Sears Spring 1941 catalog. This illustration does not have the product information with it. Notice the striped summer T-shirt. American boys in 1941, however, would not have worn long stockings during the summer as casual wear.
Montgomery Wards was the other major mail order company in America. And 1941 Wards catalogs featured long stockings foeven more prominently that Sears. We notice a full page almost entirely devoted to long stockings. WE are not sure wether this is a fall-winter or spring-summer catalog, presumbbly the fall-winter catalog. This is the last full-page treatment for long stockings that we have found in the major mail order catalogs, alhough they we sill offered for a few more years to varying degrees in the various catalogs. Wards offered quite a few different types of long stockings in the 1941 page, including differentguges and material. One interesting item offered by Wards was a tights like vrsion of long stockings which opened at the back. This was something we have not seen before and at the most was not very common. Wards adverized them as, "No draft gapsbetween stockings, undies". They also advertized the use of latex to hold up the long stockings, the item was 'Lastex keeps them up'. The availability of latex was radically affected after Pearl Harbor (December 1941) when the Japanese seized Malaya and Boreo,the promry source of natural rubber. This became a major problem the Allies had to solve. American industry launched a massive synthetic rubber program, but througout the War rubber consumption had to be dramaiclly retriced in the civilian economy. Rubber rationing was even more severe than gasoline rationing.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing catalog/magazine pages:
[Return to the Main American mail order 1941 page]
[Main photo/publishing page]
[Store catalogs]
[Fashion magazines]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossary]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits]
[Sailor hats]
[Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits]
[Rompers]
[Tunics]
[Smocks]
[Pinafores]
