Figure 1.-- Here is a picture of a French Canadian family. The uniform in for a catholic school and was substantially different from the uniforms worn at the English schools. This was the first day of school in 1954. The taller sister not in uniform was at her first year as a teacher in a country school. Take note that her skirt is typically a Dior one. They were 11 children but we are looking only 6 from them.

A Canadian reader reports, "Some English private girls schools have uniform with jumpers or gym frocks like the ones worn in Britain. They are comonly worn with tights. Before the 1960s long stockings were worn. After the Dior revolution, skirts became longer as it was in French Catholic schools. since a century or more. The uniform skirt ended below the knee. and because there was no gym, girls in Québec felt a nonsense to wear "bloomers" then, they wore long stockings. Around 1965 came the mini from England with Mary Quant. Girls wanted to wear shorter skirts and felt long skirts were dowdy. The first to create really functional colored tights was DIM in France." Canadian girls before the 1960s, both catholic or protestant, wore black long stockings. English girls often wore short skirts than French Catholic girls. After 1965, tunics among catholics shortened beccause girls began to wear, like English girls at the same time, tights which appeared at this time.

Created: 5:04 AM 8/4/2004
Last updated: 5:04 AM 8/4/2004