Figure 1.--We don;t nitice many Scottish schools with uniform suits. Blazers on the other hand have been adopted by many schools as part of their school uniform. This school was an academy offering both primary and secondary level instruction. |
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Suits were very commonly worn to school, although this varied from country to country. Here we are talking about the countries with temperate climates, primarily in the northern lattitudes, Europe and North America. The popularity of different styles varied from country to country. There were many xommon trends, but als nogtable country differences. Here Britain influenced styles in many countrues, especially British Empire countries. This has meant both suit styles and blazers. While many schools did not have unifirms, British styles infkluenced the styling of both uniform and non-uniform suits. There were also a variety of destinctive national styles. We note the Bavarian or Alpine jacket in Germany. The Soviet Union, Japan, and other countries had militart styles. The economic situation of the country was also a factor. Suits were expensive. Not all parents could afford suits for schoolwear. And of course there were social class differences within countries. There were differences in both jackets and pants. European boys commonly wore short pants suits. Knicker suits were very common in America. This changed over time. The jacket styles have changed less than the trousrs.
We see garments like sailor suits and kneepants suits in the early 20th century. Wearing a suit to school was very common before World War I (1914-18), especially in city schools. This formal attitude continued after the War, but more casual styles gradually took hold. Suits were still worn, but much less coimmon in the 1930s. The type of school was afactor. Many private schools continued to require suits. Suits were less common in rural schools.
We do not have much information on Australian school suits. We do note English-style school blazers worn at many schools.
Many boys before World War II (1939-45) still dressed formally. Boys wore kneepants, short pants, knicker, and longbpamts suits to school. They wore both the single and double breasted style. Sone boys wore suits with very small jackets. Boys in the late 19th century generally wore kneepants. Short pants began to be worn in the 1900s with the advent of the Scout movement. They were wide worn by boys into the 1960s. Boys also wore knickers in the first half of the 20th century. Often they were worn by older boys, but some younger boys had knicker suits as well. Short pants, however, were more popular for the younger boys. Generally only older boys wore long pants in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1960s it began to be more commn for younger boys to wear long pants.
Chilean state secondary schools required boys and girls to wear a standard navy blue blazer with grey skirts or trousers during the 2000s.
English boys commonly wore suits to school. Suit styles varied over time. Social class was another factor, affecting what type of school the boys attended and what they wore to school. English boys commonly wore suits to school in the 19th century. This included both school uniforms and regular suits worn at schools. Not all schools had uniforms although this became more common in the late-19th century. Blazers are commonly associated with British school wear. The blazer, however, is more common in the 20th than 19th century. In the late-19th century it was primarly associated with games and worn at private schools. Many boys, however, wore suits and suit jackes rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and bllazers. This seems especially common in state schools before and just after World War II. At this time, primary schools did not commonly require uniforms. Private schools commonly insisted on blazers, but quite a number had suits rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and blazers. Blazers were worn for every day and suits for special occassions. The suits worn were commonly grey suits, but not all of them were grey. We have seen some suits in other colors as well as some suits done in patterns. Dressed in suits you might think that boys would be relativly constrained. Avaiable images suggest that at least some boys behaved no differently than if they were dressed in overalls.
Younger French boys in the early 20th century commonly wore smocks to school, although it was by no means universal. Older boys, however, through the 1940s commonly wore suits to school, especially older boys attending secondary schools. This was generally the case in private schools, but even boys in village state primary schools often wore suits to school. We believe that this in part was because that many children did not have large wardrobes and thus they wore suits much more commonly than do modern boys. French boys often wore suits casually, that it without a tie or dress short. These were generally the boys own suits, rather than a uniorm, because so few schools required school uniforms. We have noted short pants, knee pants, knicker, and long pants suits. The type of suit followed contemporary styles. In the 19th and early 20th cebntury we see some military styled suits. Norfolk suits were popular for some time, but went out of style in the 1930s. In the 1950s casual clothes began to become more common and boys less commonly wore suits. Again suits continued to be worn at private schools longer than state schools. By the 1970s you almost never see suits at school.
German boys commonly wore suits during the early 20th century. We note all kinds of different styles. The suits worn by younger boys were especially varied. Sailor suits were just one of the many styles popular for the younger boys. While older boys were confined primarily to single- or double-breasted suits, we see much more varied suitsn by the younger boys. And we think older boys wore suits every day nd not just on special days. Not all boys wore suits. Here age, social class and demographics were all factors. We note many boys wearing suits. It was most common with the older ahe groups, boys from affluent families, and boys living in urban areas. Suits were commonly worn through the 1940s. They seemed to have declined in the 1950s. We suspect World War II was a factor. As a result of the shortages and sharp drops in family income, many families could not afford suits. But this trend is observable in other countries as well and seems to be associuated with a general trend toward casual dress. While outfits in primary schools were varied, most secondary school boys wore suits until the 1950s. Suits by the 1950s were much less common and unusual by the 1960s. An exception here seems to have been younger boys, at least in their first day portraits, a German family tradition. We see quite few photographs of younger boys in suits. This may have been first day portraits and not what they normally wore.
Boys at some Japanese schools wear suits at least for special occasions. Solid colored blue and grey suits are common, but patterned suits are also worn at some schools. Solid colors are generally worn at private schools, but some public schools have patterened suits. Boys at many schools wear the American Eron suit which has a jacket without lapels. Sometimes the girls wear dresses or skirts in the same patterns. Almost always suits are only worn at elementary schools, although quite a number of secondary schools have begun replazing the old military-styled uniform with English-style blazers. For the most part, suits are only worn at schoolsequired uniformjs and even at these schools often only on special occassions. Suits arevmost common at private schools.
We do not have much information on Australian school suits. We note a few schools wuth grey suit uniforms. We do note English-style school blazers at many schools.
We do not yet have a page on Scottish suits and blazers in general. Suits do not seem to have been as common in Scotland as in England. We do have a page on blazers which were commonly worn at Scottish schools.
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