School Uniform: Garments--Sailor Suit Chronology Trends



Figure 1.-Sailor suits were especially popular schoolwear in Germany. We continue to see German boys wearing sailor suits into the 1930s. This school class portrait is undated, but looks like the early 1930s. A reader has asked about the other garments the boys are wearing. The popularity of sailor suits is probably the most priminant aspect of ythis photogreaph, but there are several other interesying fashion details. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

The sailor suit during the late 19th and early 20th century was widely worn to school by boys in many Europeam countries. This was not as a school uniform, with only a few exceptions. Rather they were simply a popular outfit for children. The sailor suit as children's wear in the 1840s when the British royal family began dressing the princes in Royal Navy uniforms. Gradually this began to be afopted by the wider public. Sailor suits becan to commonly appear in the schools as sailor suits began to become a major style for boys during the 1870s and were commonly worn through the 1920s. The chronological variations followed the overall popularity of the sailor suit because for the most part it was not a school uniform, but the children's basic clothing. During this period we commonly see boys wearing sailor suits to school. This can be observed in school portraits which are readily available. Here there are substantial variations from ciuntry to country as well as regional and social class variations. The sailor suit began to decline in popularity during the 1930s, but chronological trends varied substantially from country to country as did age conventions.






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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]


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Created: 8:51 PM 6/22/2008
Last updated: 8:51 PM 6/22/2008