Individual Swiss School Garments: Hosiery

Figure 1.--We note the younger boys at a Zürich school in 1928 nostly wearing suits, both knee pants and short pants suits. The boys wore both knee socks and long stockings. Here is a good example. What we do not know is what kind of preferebces the children had. The choices were made by mother. But boys this age were begininning ro express their own preferences as well. Its not clear from the photograph what kind of hosiery the girls were wearing, but we think long stockings were even more popular for the girls. Click on the image for a fuller discussion and a link to the school.

We note a variety of hosiery worn by Swiss school children. Swiss children commonly wore both short socks and kneesocks as well as long stockings. We note mostly three-quarter socks and long stockings in the early 20th century. Knee socks gradually became very common, Younger boys wearing shorts in the winter might wear them with long over-the-knee stockings. The popularity of the various types of hosiery varied over time. There were also some gender differences. After World War II short socks became common during the warmer months and gradually became more important. We see fewer children wearing long stockings in the 1950s and more children wearing long pants. In the 1960s long stockings were replaced with tights. Also we do not see knee socks very commonly by the 1960s, they seem to have been gradually replaced with ankle socks.

Types

We note a variety of hosiery worn by Swiss school children. Swiss children commonly wore both short socks and kneesocks as well as long stockings.

Chronology

We note mostly three-quarter socks and long stockings in the early 20th century. Knee socks gradually became very common, Younger boys wearing shorts in the winter might wear them with long over-the-knee stockings. The popularity of the various types of hosiery varied over time. After World War II short socks became common during the warmer months and gradually became more important. We see fewer children wearing long stockings in the 1950s and more children wearing long pants. In the 1960s long stockings were replaced with tights. Also we do not see knee socks very commonly by the 1960s, they seem to have been gradually replaced with ankle socks.

Seasonality

Clothing

It is fairly easy from the photographic record to tell what lind of hosiery Swiss girls wear with dresses. . And the same is true of Swiss boys wearing short pants and knee panrs. Knickers are more difficult and long pants virtually impossible. Some information is available from written sources. A reader writes, "If you read Otto's account carefully he discusses that boys often wore long stockings under the below the knee knickers rather than knee socks. Of course he also stated that in the winter boys often wore long stockings for warmth under their long pants. So the photographic record is difficult to tell for boys wearing those type of trousers."

Gender

We note boys and girls wearing the same types of hosiery, but there were some gender differences.

Personal Accounts

A HBC reader recently heard from a German friend in Estonia (Otto) who went to school in Switzerland during World War II and lived there up until the 1950s. Otto remembers an incident from his school days when he was 12 years old that throws some interesting light on boys attitudes to long stockings. Otto's account, which our reader has translated (with the aid of a dictionary) from German into English, might be interesting to HBC readers.

Related HBC Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
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[Return to the Main Swiss smock page]
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Created: 3:16 AM 7/11/2007
Last updated: 11:37 PM 1/29/2010