|
HBC has noted a variety of different collar styles used with school clothing. Perhaps the most destinctive collar style was thge Eton collar which appeared in England, but was widely worn in other European countries and North America. Many other different collars were worn over time. Boys after the mid-century began ewaring waists with detchable collars. Many boys in the 19th and early-20th century dressed up to go to school and thus wore formal collars, often with neckwear. Sailor suits and thus sailor collars were popular for dchoolwear. After World war I shirts with standard pointed collars becane standard. After World war I schoolwear became increasingly casual and even more so after wotld war II. Here the time line and collar styles varied froim country go country. Many boys began wearing "T"-shorts without collars to school. Another popular style was polo shirts. Eurooean boys began wearing pan-European styles in the 1970s. These were casual styles heabily influnced by Americn styles. These styles are now common in schools unless there is a school uniform. Common school uniforms arelargely based on British styles and involve a white shirt with a pointed collar. Some schools have more casual uniforms, often involving a polo shirt.
The Eton collar was so closely associated with the suits worn by boys at school and for dress wear for so many years that it can not be omitted in any discussion of school suits. The Eton collar was most closely associated with England, but it was widely worn in America, France, and several other countries. They began to be worn widely in the 1860s and dominated school wear through the 1910s. Only in the 1920s did schools begin adopting soft collars for boys, although even in the 1930s some traditionally oriented continued insisting on Eton collars.
Lace and ruffled collars are not generally thought of a a boys' school garment. But in fact in the late 19th an early 20th century, many yonger school boys did wear lace and ruffled collars. We note this in England, America, and continental European countries as well. At the turn of the 20th century, we note classes with boys wearing both lace and ruffled collars and Eton collars. Boys in the same shool a yer or two older would almost all be wearing the Eton collars.
One of the most popular style of boy's collars was the sailr collar on middy blouses. Boys commonly wore middy blouses to school, especially in Germany and many other continental countries in the late 19th andcealy 20th century.
Many younger boys at th turn of th 20th century through the 1920s wore larg rounded or Peter Pan collars. These collars, unlike Eton and lace collars were an integral part of a blouse or skirt. These Peter Pan collars were popular in England and elsehere in Europe as well as America. Thy were not only worn as hirt collars, but we ao notice them on Italian chool smocks and to a lesser extent French school smocks. Increaingly the style, oweve is today sen as a girl's style, at least for school-age children.
The senior boys at many public (private secondary) schools in England after the turn of the 20th century were allowed to wear more adult looking rounded collars. They were less conspicous and did not extend over the jacket.
Interestingly the button down shirt collar developed at first for polp players, has never been worn for school uniforms. Almost always the collar of a school uniform shirt is a plain collar.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits]
[Short pants suits]
[Socks]
[Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer]
[School sandals]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to Main school collar page]
[Return to Main school shirt and collar page]
[Return to Main school garment page]
[Return to Main school page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Essays]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
