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Today the term sandal has the context of a casual shoe to be worn for play or holidays in warm weather. This was not always the case. Initially it was used to describe an open work shoe made with strips of leather rather than a solid piece. Strap shoes may be most associated with English boys becise of A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin (and in recent years Disney). We do not have a detailed chronology of English sandals yet. We are beginning to understand the chronology betterin America becausewe have a good bit of evidence from clothing catalogs. We do not yet have this information from England. We do know that that after World War I in te 1920s that British boys who hd been wearing heavy boot-like shoes were commoly wearing sandals. English boys wearing sandals had various approaches. Many boys during the summer would wear them without socks. A few schools adopted the sockless aproach, but most required knee or ankle socks. Many schools required sandals for everyday school wear, both in summer and winter. Outside of school sandals were most commonly wore in the summer, especially in France. British boys wore the for play mostly during the summer and might refer to them as sand shoes. Many boys would wear them to school year round and, as a result, they became known as school sandals. There are two basic kinds of sandals: closed and open-toe sandals. The most common type was closed toe sandals. They came in both single- and double-bar styles. The single bar sandal with a center strap became popular for schoolwear. There were also open-toe sandals which became popular after World War II, although more for adults than children. We also note I think in the 1960s that sandals began go be made to look more like shoes with a very wide center strap. This style was especially popular with boys. Sandals were made in different colors. Our assessment is somewhat limited here because many available photographs are black and white. The most common color was various shades of brown, similar to shoes.
Today the term sandal has the context of a casual shoe to be worn for play or holidays in warm weather. This was not always the case. Initially it was used to describe an open work shoe made with strips of leather rather than a solid piece. The derivation must have been Latin whivh I think was "sandalia". Just when the worn made the transition to the modern meaning I am not sure, but believe it was in the 1910s.
Strap shoes may be most associated with English boys becise of A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin (and in recent years Disney). English boys wore strap shoes in the early 19th century, often with skeleton suits. Except for very young children, often in dresses, they appear to have declined in popularity . They appear again in the early 20th century, first as dressy shoes with Fauntleroy suits and other formal outfits. By the 1920s they began to be worn as play shoes, especially during the summer. By the 1930s, however, only girls and younger boys were wearing them. Older boys more commonlu wore sandshoes with the "T" bar center piece that became known as school sandals.
We do not have a detailed chronology of English sandals yet. We are beginning to understand the chronology betterin America becausewe have a good bit of evidence from clothing catalogs. We do not yet have this information from England. Our ininital assessment was that sandals in America were an import from England, but we cannot yet confirm this. Closed-toe sandals appeared in the early 20th century. We doi not know how popular they were in the early part of the century. We do know that that after World War I in the 1920s that British boys who hd been wearing heavy boot-like shoes were commoly wearing sandals. The sandals worn in Britain were almost all closed-toe sandals. These sandals became known as school sandaks because they were commonly worn to school. They were also a major tyoe of casual and pklay footwear for children especially during the summer. The school sand play styles were the same. Diring the summer they were commonly worn without socks, but socks were wirn when attendung school. This general pattern did not change until well after World War II. A new type of sandal appeared. Closed toe sandals appeared. They were commonly worn without socks, although we see many adults accustomed to hosiery wearing them with socks. These open-toe sandals were a summer garment. We note children continuing to wear the cloesed-toe sandal to school. A few schools adopted the open-toe sandal as part of the uniform, but this was relatively rare. The closed-toe sandal continued being the major style of sandal for younger children and for schoolwear. The open-toe sandal was commonly seen as too informal. Another major development, espcially by the 1970s was the groiwing popularity of trainers (sneakers). We note children increasingly wearing sneakers rather than sandals. Some schools banned smeakers, but trainers became increasingly popular. Many children began to see sneakers as trendy and sandals as for younger children and girls.
Usage of sandals in England is a little complicasted and varies somewhast even in Britain. Sandals for example were less common in Scotland than in England. Usage varies with age and over time. The general pattern is that they were more popular seasonlly during the warm summer weather. This was especially the case during the first half of the 20th century until sneakers (trainers) began to become popular (1970s). They were very common in Britain for summer wasr and often worn without socks. There was also an age difference. Children, especially boys, often can not master tieing shoe lacves until they are about 7 or 8 yeas old. Thus sandals which have no laces, but often buckles. are more manasgeable for the little ones. As a result, these children often wore strap shoes that look like or are sandals. Sandals or strap shoes were commonly worn by younger children as a dress shoe. Here only the material might make the difference. Older boys always swore shoes when dressing up. Sandals in England, unlike America, had no gender association in primary schools. It is why close-toe sandals became such a common footwear type in English schools--becoming known as school sandals. And were commonly worn even during the winter term. The confusion with sandals and shoes comes in part because girls footear included strap shoes in various styles as a popular choice. And were not referred to as sandals. And here we are not talking about summer tyles, but footwear worn throughout the year.
Sandals were generally seen as both school footwear and as casual summer wear. Thus the clothes children wore with them we generally either school clothes or warm weather summer wear. This is a little confusing as school clothes in Britain were oftem much more formal than in America and other countries. Suits, blazers, and ties ere commonly worn to school and not just private schools. Thuis we se boys dessed up wearing sandals as well as boys in conmfortable summer shirts and shorts wearng sandals. And during the summer they were often worn without socks. This topic is further complicated by the fact that casual summer wear was vuewed differently in Britain than n America. As a result we see boys wearing blazers and suit jackets for casual events and even to the beach. Boys usually wore oxfords with suits when dressing up, but sanslas were commonly worn with suits for more casual occasions. A further complications is that until the 60s, boys from ordinary families did not have large wardrobes. Thus suit jackets often filled in for casual jackets. And worxing-class boys might not have jackets. This all has changed over time. We see even he British more commonly wearing casual styles by he 1960s. And with prosperity accompamying Mrs, atcher's reforms, living standards in Britan that had fallen during the as a result of Labour Party economic policies bgaan to rise to continental levels. This mean that boys began acquiring the larger wardrobes that are common today.
English boys wore sandals to school all year round, although we suspect this too was in part seasonal. British winters are not nearly as severe as American winters, but there is still a definite seasonality to wearing sandals. We do not yet have full details, but sandals were highly seasonal for regular wear. Some Brirish boys may have worn sandals all year round, but after World War II they seem to have been primarily seasonal outside of school. We see a lot of boys wearing sandals for play during the summer. Thus was especially the case before the 1970s when trainers (sneakers) became popular for casual wear. We see them being commonly worn at seaside resorts and generally at summer vacation centers. The sandals we see being worn as summer footwear are primarily the style with the narrow center strap and not the very wide strap looking more like a shoe that became popular dor schoolwear. This of course made sence because the reason sandalsere wofn during the summer was to provide more exposure to the air. Many children wore sandals without socks during the summer which was not very common for school wear. We see far fewer children wearing sandals even during the summer in the 1980s, primarily because of the popularity of sneakers.
English boys wearing sandals had various approaches. Many boys during the summer would wear them without socks. A few schools adopted the sockless aproach, but most wore knee or ankle socks. Many schools required sandals for everyday school wear, both in summer and winter. Outside of school, sandals were most commonly wore in the summer, especially in France. British boys wore the for play mostly during the summer and might refer to them as sand shoes. Many boys would wear them to school year round and, as a result, they became known as school sandals. Some schools used them as the everyday footwear and had the boys wear proper shoes for special occassions. Both boys and girls wore them. Girls wore them with white socks, both ankel socks and knee socks. Only younger boys wore sandals with white socks. They geneally wore grey socks to school. It was around the 1960s that there was a change in sandal wearing. A new type of sandal appeared. Closed toe sandals appeared. They were commonly worn without socks, although we see many adults accustomed to hosiery wearing them with socks. These open-toe sandals were a summer garment. We note children continuing to wear the cloesed-toe sandal to school. A few schools adopted the open-toe sandal as part of the uniform, but this was relatively rare. The closed-toe sandal continued being the major style of sandal for younger children aznd for schoolwear. The open-toe sandal was commonly seen as too informal. Another major development, espcially by the 1970s was the groiwing popularity of trainers (sneakers). We note children increasingly wearing sneakers rather than sandals. Some schools banned sneakers, but trainers became increasingly popular. Many children began to see sneakers as trendy and sandals as for younger children and girls.
Sandals were practical, conforable footwear for children, worn for both school and play. During the summer the extra ventilation made them cool to wear. We note children wearing them both with and without socks. This apparently depended mostly on mother's attitudes. For school the childrem mostly wore socks although a few schools dispensed with socks during the summer term. They were especially practical for younger children. Tieing shoe laces is a complicated task fo a younger child. I recall having trouble mastering the task and always had my laces untied. I am not sure now, howevr, at just what age I finally was able to my own shoes laces all by myself. I do recall tht my mom got tired of tieing them. Closed-toe sandals buckle on and are thus easier for little ones to put on and take off than shoes with laces that need to be tied. Both boys and girls wore sandals. We think it took noys a lottl lomger to tie their laces than the girls. These two factors, comfort and practicality are why sandals became so popular in England. Although we arenot entireky sure why popularity varied so much from country to country.
We see British children wearing sandals done in a range of styles. There are two basic kinds of sandals: closed and open-toe sandals. The most common type was the closed toe sandals. They came in both single and double bar styles. And in the early-20th century we seen sdandls with straps dome at an angle. The single bar sandal ws worn in the late-19th century, but more as atrap shoe than a sandal. We see younger boys wearing them as both a sandal and atrap shoe in the early-20th century. sandals with a center strap became popular for schoolwear. We note them sobe with one single ahd diuble vars. The sungle bar or what Americans would call a T-strap shoe were the most common. They were commonly worn for decades. The sandals with the side center strap were much preferred by boys. Girls did nor wear them. We note styles appearing in the 1960s with the center strap widening, giving more the appearance of a shoe. There were also open-toe sandals which became popular after World War II, although more for adults than children. A few schools adopted them for summer wear. The closed-toe sandal remained the dominant style at school. For leisure wear boys generally prferred sneakers, called trainers in Britain, to sandls.
Some English boys desiring or required to wear sandals have to wear aduts styles and the classic closed toe sandals are only made in small sizes. The older boys at British prep schools requiring sandals might have to but adult styles. The adult styles have a more shoe-like appearance with more pointed toes and and without out the wide open area at the front of the sandal.
Sandals were made in different colors. Our assessment is somewhat limited here because many available photographs are black and white. The most common color was various shades of brown, similar to shoes. School sandals were normlly done in brown shdes. We have also noted various shades of blue. Generally this was a dark blue, but we have seen younger children wearing light-blue sandals. We have not noted black sandals, although this was a common color for strap shoes. We have noted, however, white sandals. There were also red shoes, often worn by younger children. We have seen other colors, but they were not very common.
HBC has received some comments from well-informed English conntributors. Some are not familiar with the term "sand shoes". One British reader tells us, "When I was a boy growing up in the North East of England, the term "sand shoe" (also known as "sandies") referred to white plimsols. HBC has noted the term from British books published in the 1920s and 30s. Unfortunately I do not recall the specific literary references. I do hope to eventually include some on this page. I believe that our British contributors are not familiar with this term because it was not commonly used after the 1930s. By the 1940s the style had become so associated with school wear that they were most commonly called school sandals.
English boys wore both ankle socks and knee socks with sandals. This caried both chronologically and seasonally. Sandals became common in the 1920s, both for schoo ans summer wear. Knee socks were common for schoolwear. And we begin to see ankle socks more commonly for summer wear in the 1930s. We also see boys wearing sandals without hosiery. This was mostly during the summer for play and vacation wear. We see few school images of the boys not wearing hosiery. This was azlottle nore common for girls.
After World War II we see ankle socks becoming more common, although knee socks were fairly standard at school, almost always grey socks. Both sandals and knee socks declined in popularity during the post-War period, especially after the 1950s. In the late-20th century we see some schools adopting ankle socks as part of the school unidorm during the summer, most in southern England.
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