Figure 1.--This page includes items for boys and girls, but separate items. The designation as play wear appears to come from the fact that they are largely made for pre-school children with time to play. There are shirts, including "T"-shirts, for the boys and blouses for the girls. Several styles of long pants are offered for boys and girls, including flannel-lined corduroys. |
This page includes items for boys and girls, but separate items. The designation as play wear appears to come from the fact that they are largely made for pre-school children with time to play. There are shirts, including "T"-shirts, for the boys and blouses for the girls. Several styles of long pants are offered for boys and girls,
including flannel-lined corduroys. One interesting item is suspender "cargo" pants. The cargo feature looks very modern, but this feature does not appdear to have been very popular at the time for long pants--althoug it proved popular on short pants which were styled "camp shorts". Another interesting fashion is the "Continental-style" shirt.
Although the word "consumerism" has a modern ring, it was personal concern for an early consumer movement, the "National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry," That inspired a young traveling salesman named Aaron Montgomery Ward to start the world's first general merchandise mail-order company in 1872. The Mongomery Ward catalog became a marketing phenomemnon. Wards had both actual stores and their catalog. Until's its demise in the 1990s, the Ward's catalog became known as America's "Wish Book".
This page includes items for boys and girls, but separate items. The designation as play wear appears to come from the fact that they are largely made for pre-school children with time to play. There are shirts, including "T"-shirts, for the boys and blouses for the girls. Several styles of long pants are offered for boys and girls,
including flannel-lined corduroys. One interesting item is suspender "cargo" pants. The cargo feature looks very modern, but this feature does not appdear to have been very popular at the time for long pants--althoug it proved popular on short pants which were styled "camp shorts". Another interesting fashion is the "Continental-style" shirt. A reader writes, "These styles look very familiar to me. These are the styles that my friends and I wore to primary school. I rember in particular those flannel-lined jeans which we always turned up at the cuffs as shown in the Ward's page here." The sizes here are shown for pre-school boy, but as far as I can tell the were the same styles worn to elementary (primary) school in the 1950s. Ward's calls them play clothes. To HBC they look more like school clothes.
The ad copy provides some useful information here.
This flanel set looks very familiar to me also. I remember wearing these flannel shirts and both jeans and corduroys with flannel lining to elementary school during the Winter in the 1950s. The pants here or corduroys rather than jeans. It was a very popular style. The ad copy reads, " Shirt and slack set. Save 25%. Usually our price would be $3.98. Shirt in Sanforized pretested Cotton Flannel knit w????. Long-wearing pin-wale Corduroy Boxer Slacks. Slacks have cuffs trimmed with matching flannel; elastic waist. Hip pocket. WSashable. Brownn slacks with orange plaid Shirt or Charcoal (???) Gray with Pink Plaid." Sizes 3-6X. Price ... $2.98.
This is an interesting style shirt. I don't recall as a boy seeing boys wearing these shirts. They apparently were, but were not very common. These shirts which Ward's calls "Continental-style" were apparently more popular in Europe. The shirt here isn't precisely the same as the ones we have noted in Europe, but it bears a resemblance. It also resembles what is now called a "Johnny Collar" top, except that those generally have a V opening. The Ward's copy reads, "Cotton knit shirt, New 'Continental' style in bold colors; wide easy-on neck. Orange-Black, Copen Blue Black. Washable." Sizes 3-6x. The shoirt was done in both short and long sleeves. Price ... $2.30/2.75.
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