Figure 2.--French and other Continental boys in the 1930s tended to wear shorter cut shorts pants with their short pants suits. |
French boys began wearing shortened-length pants, commonly as suits, in the mid-19th century. The suit was a much more common garment in the 19th and early-20th century than is the case today. The suit was the standard garment for men and boys wih some social class and demographic differences. Boys' suits were were done with knee pants or knickers and gradually this became increasingly common. By the late-19th century and were standard for French boys by the end of the century. Shortened length pants were not seasonal wear, but commonly worn by boys in both summer nd winter. The suit jacket along wih knee socks and long stockings helped boys remain warm in cold weather. This continued into the 20th century. French boys commonly began wearing short pants in the 20th century. The transition from knee pants to short pants occurred mostly after World War I. The popularity of the Boy Scout movemnt which adopted shorts as part of the uniform was a factor here. The difference being length and the ornamental leg hem buttons. They rapidly replaced the knee pants that boys had been wearing since the mid-19th century. Unlike much of Europe, knickers also continued to be commonly worn, but by mostly older boys. Short pants suits generally had knee-length shorts until the 1930s when shorter cut shorts began to appear for younger boys. And suits contunued to be done with shorts that had the button leg trim. The buttons disappeared on stand alone shorts before disapparing from suit shorts. The buttons seenm to have been conncted with formality and thus need on suit shorts. We see that pattern in other European counbtries as well. Older French boys began wearing the shorter style in the 1940s. A factor may have been the World War II German invasion and occupation. The Germans exploited the French economy. Consumer goods like clothing were shipped to Germany with only minimal payment, creating serious shortages in the French economy. Thus new clothes for growing children became inceasingly difficult to obtain. Thus we see older boys wearing shorts than many were growing out of. Short-cut shorts were fashionable in the 1950s-70s. At the same time, dress becme increasingly informal, espcially for boy. We see fewer boys wearing suits by the 1960s, espoecially among younger teens who began wearing long pants more commonly. By the 1970s we see longer style shorts becoming more popular in France. At the same we see more boys and younger boys wearing long pants, especially when dressing up. Shorts except for the youngest boys became seen increasingly casual summer clothing.
Suits for boys resembling the modern suit began to appear in the mid-19th Century. Previously French boys had worn skeleton and sailor suits and tunics with long pants after graduating from baby dresses. Their fathers in the early era of the 19th Century wore knee breeches. By mid-Century that had changed. Men wore long pants and children knee length pants. At mid-Century the suits worn by boys were generally plain, althoughsome more elaborate styles were available to romantic mothers. It was not until the 1880s that elaborate Fautleroy suits appeared with lace collars and fancy blouses. The pants worn by boys at mid-century varied. Some boys wore long trousers like their fathers. As the century progressed, however, it became increasingly common for boys to wear knee-length pants. Many styles buttoned at the knee, others were simply cut off at the knee. Knee pants were worn with long stockings which were kept up by suspender waists. The stockings were usually a dark color or horizonal stripes which became popular ..... The tops of the stockings which came over the knee held up with clasps. Only the very youngest boys had bare knees, and it was even rare for little boys wearing more juvenile styles. Boys wearing short pants suits always wore long stockings.
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The convention of boys wearing shortened-length pants continued into the 20th century. French boys commonly began wearing short pants in the 20th century. The transition from knee pants to short pants occurred mostly after World War I. The popularity of the Boy Scout movemnt which adopted shorts as part of the uniform was a factor here. The difference being length and the ornamental leg hem buttons. They rapidly replaced the knee pants that boys had been wearing since the mid-19th century. Unlike much of Europe, knickers also continued to be commonly worn, but by mostly older boys. Short pants suits generally had knee-length shorts until the 1930s when shorter cut shorts began to appear for younger boys. And suits contunued to be done with shorts that had the button leg trim. The buttons disappeared on stand alone shorts before disapparing from suit shorts. The buttons seenm to have been conncted with formality and thus need on suit shorts. We see that pattern in other European counbtries as well. Older French boys began wearing the shorter style in the 1940s. A factor may have been the World War II German invasion and occupation. The Germans exploited the French economy. Consumer goods like clothing were shipped to Germany with only minimal payment, creating serious shortages in the French economy. Thus new clothes for growing children became inceasingly difficult to obtain. Thus we see older boys wearing shorts than many were growing out of. Short-cut shorts were fashionable in the 1950s-70s. At the same time, dress becme increasingly informal, espcially for boy. We see fewer boys wearing suits by the 1960s, espoecially among younger teens who began wearing long pants more commonly. By the 1970s we see longer style shorts becoming more popular in France. At the same we see more boys and younger boys wearing long pants, especially when dressing up. Shorts except for the youngest boys became seen increasingly casual summer clothing.
Boys wearing short pants suits with knee socks and bare knees began to appear in France before the First World War and became increasingly widespread during the early 1920s. Before the War knee length pants were common, but often worn with long stockings. After the War the shorts became shorter and were more commonly worn with knee length socks, leaving the knees bare. The fashioned was greatly influenced by Lord Baden Powell's growing Boy Scout uniform. The Scout Movement quickly crossed the Channel to France during the first decade of the 20th Century. French boys soon adopted the short pants which appeared in England and by the 1910s were commonly wearing shorts--albeit rather long shorts. Shorts became the dominate fashion for boys in major European countries.
French boys during the inter-war years commonly wore short pants suit. While not universal, it was unusual to yet elementary age boys wearing long pants suits. It addition younger secondary school boys also common wore shortpants suits. Boys did not begin wearing long pants suit until they were 13 or 14 years of age and many even older boys wore them. At first short pants were very long, almost like kneepants, but without the three bittons at the hem. The length of the short pants worn with short pants suits was similar to the length worn by English boys in the 1920s and early 1930s. By the late 1930s, however, shorter styled shorts began to become more common. By the 1940s shorter lengths had become increasingly common. In many, especially France and Italy, the fashion for increasingly shorter shorts became wide spread. Boys tended to wear knee socks with their suits. Some boys, especially during the summer wore short socks. A few even wore white socks.
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Shorts were commonly worn by European boys, even quite old boys through the 1950s. It was quite common for boys' suits to have short pants. A French HBC contributor confirms this saying that short pants suits were common in the 1950s, although he reports that he did not wear one. This is an important point. While short pants suit were still common after World War II, they wete not universal. Some quite old boys might wear a short panrs suit. On the other hand, some younger boys might wear long pants. There does not appear to have been a lot of easy to identify factors at play. Perhaps social class was a factor. But the primary reason was simply the predelections of the parents. Some parents had definite ideas. Some had no strong feelings on the matter. This changed in the 1960s and by the end of the decade short pants suits were only seen on younger boys. An American HBC contributor that attended a French school for a year reports that to his best recollection in 1964/65, most boys did not wear suits to school. He recalls one boy in another class who always wore exactly the same clothes--a gray short pants suit with knee socks every day. The only difference between winter and summer is that he wore a sweater underneath the jacket in winter. He apparently came from a very traditionally-minded family. He can't clearly remember whether the boy wore, probably not. He did see some short pants suits (and long pants suits) when boys were being confirmed in a near by Catholic Church. He did see more boys wearing shortpants suits when his family traveled to Germany.
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The Paris student riots during 1968 had a profound impact on youth culture throughtout Europe. Older French teenagers boys were already wearing jeans and other casual American styles. After the riots, the styles worn by the older boys were rapidly adopted by younger boys. All French boys wanted jeans in the 1970s and fewer boys wore suits. Boys increasingly adopted the new casual stylesand suits were worn to a far less extent than in earlier periods. Those boys that did wear suits to formal occasions were increasingly less likely to wear short pants suits. The ages of the boys continuing to wear short pants suits also declined. French boys had worn rather short cut short pants in the 1960s and 70s, but bginning in the late 1980s an new longer cut style became more popular--often worn with cuffs. While boys by the 1990s no longer wore short pants suits, younger boys might wear short pants with blazers in a kind of casual formal look during the summer. Younger boys might wer sandals with such outfits.
Short pant suits were widely worn by French boys in the 1920s and 30s. Most boys wore short pants suits year round, but some boys wore long pants or knickers with thiir suits in the winter. Some suits were sold with both short pants and knickers. We are not sure, but I think it was less common for suits to come with both short and long pants. This seasonality became less pronounced after World War II in the 1950s. Boys in many Europeanb countries wore suits to scchool. This was lesscommon in Belgium, France, and Italy because smocks were commonly worn to school and boys did not usually wear suits under the smocks. Thus suits became dress up wear in these countries in a way that was nor as common in many other countries. Some short pants suits came with a pair of knickers. We are not sure what the conventiuoins were for daily usage. Perhaps seasonality was involved.
other hand were very common in America during the inter-war years--even older boys wore them in the 1920s.
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