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The prinncipal type of knee socks worn in schools was at first he turn over-top-sock. We believe this derived from the long stockings worn in the 19th and early 20th century. As pants lengths got shorter, boys began turning them down. The issue here became suspension. Long atockings were virtually universal in America--unless going barefoot. The situation was a little more varied for European children. In America, all kinds of complicated stocking supporter contraptions were devised to hold up the stockings. In Europe a more basic approsched was devised, pinning gthe stockings to the underwear. When the stockings were turned down, it created a cuff, where a garter could be used to support the resulting knee socks. Thus after World War I we see children rpidly switching from long stockings to knee socks in the 1920s, both boys and girls. The boys made the change more rapidly than the girls. As a result, knee socks became widely worn with short pannts in Europe. In America, younger boys wore shorts, older boys about 1910 shifted from knee pants to knickers, this mean most school sage bois except the very youngest. The knickers were at first worn with long stockings, but by the late-20s Americn boys, and a few girls, had shifted to the new patterbed knee socks. In Europe, knee socks were commonly done in flat solid colors. Grey was very commion, especially in England. In America flat solid colors were worn, but colorful patterns became popular. This appears to have been a destinctively American style. Turn-over-top knee socks continud to be worn in Europe untill well after World War II. Thry were standard schoolwear for some time, especally at private schools. Gradully they were replaced at primasry schools wih the less expensived elasticized top knee socks, but continued to be widely worn at private schools with uniforms. Turn-over topsd in America generally disppeared the end of the 1930s. We see knickers beng wrn with ankle socvks. Girls have continued to wear knee socks, but not the turn-over top style. They mostly wear elasticized-top knee socks.
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