Figure 1.--Here we can see the garter strap holding up this little German boy's long stockings in the early 1950s. Note the patterened stockings and the use of the pattern on the strap holding up the stockings. . We note German boys wearing them, but they were not very common. We mostly see them in catalogs. Click on the image for more information on patterened stockings.

German boys' were two types of garters. One kind had button-holes on the elastic strap for fastening to a white button on the stockings. Another kind had a strap that just has the ordinary clib with rubber button and metal loop. Both types were attached to Leibchen or bodices and some of these bodices had four garters while others had only two. Another method for holding up long stockings was a "Strumpfhalter". These are called garters in America and suspenders in Britain. This Strumpfhalter was fixed to the Lange Strumpf by means of either a "???" (clasp, I don´t know the German term) or a "Wäscheknopf" (white button) which is sewn to the stocking. The stockings were fixed to the suspender either by buttons or by metal clasps. Plastic was not yet available in the 1930s-40s.

Elastic Strap

One type was simply an elastic strap attached to the bodice or Leibchen in which there were graduated button-holes spaced about an inch or half-inch apart. The buttonholes allowed a white button (or Waschkopf) sewn onto the top of the long stocking to be fastened to one of the buttonholes on the supporter strap. There were enough buttonholes to allow for longer or shorter long stockings and to fit the length of the boy's legs. Various images on HBC show the white button or Waschkopf sewed at the top of the long stocking--the button to which one type of German garter strap is fastened. One example is a Jewish girl being photographed for an identity card in 1938.

Single Strap

The second type of supporter used in Germany was also a single strap but ended in the metal clip or clasp (the familiar button with metal loop) which could be attached to the top of the stocking. Younger boys tended to wear their supporters attached to a Leibchen (a vest-like garment somewhat like a woman's bra with button closure in back). This style was especially useful for very long stockings covering the entire upper leg. Although normally this style of bodice was for children (boys and girls alike) about ten years old or younger, some older boys wore such a Leibchen for sports such as sking or in situations when they wanted the entire upper leg covered. Some Leibchen for older boys buttoned in front like many American underwaists and had supporters for stockings on either side. Most German boys older than ten and as old as 16 usually wore garter belts with shorter hose supporters attached. These were similar to women's modern garter belts with four garters (two in front and two in back) but made in plainer, more masculine designs and simply white or grey rather than pink. The more grown-up garter belts for boys were similar to modern hockey garter belts with just a waistband and four individual supporters attached.

Mutiple Straps

Some children had multiple garter straps. You can see the supporter attachments a primary school boy wears on the outside and inside of his leg. These are not Y-shaped supporters. The boy kneeling has his garters exposed, but they are the more conventional type--four individual straps that than two garters with a Y-shape.

Y-Shaped Supporter

Some support straps were "Y"-shaped. We note "Y"-shaped supporters beong worn by boys at a Gymnasium in the 1920s. Note the support straps showing at the edge of a German's boys short trousers. Note boy in the first row, fourth from the right, with hand on his own wrist. You can see the double supporter clasps here. He seems to be wearing Y-shaped garters because of the placement of the buttons. This is quite unusual. We also notice a Czech boy in 1929 with beige long stockings and what look like "Y"-shaped hose supporters (note the position of the buttons) would make another interesting link to the Primalastic page. Czech styles and customs in the wearing of long stockings were very similar to German styles. We note Primalastic support straps for girls done in pink, presumably for girls, during the 1930s. The Primalastic ad shows Y-shaped supporters, which we haven't noted before. We thought these didnt exist in Germany, but we were wrong apparently.

Conventions

One point to notice about many images of German children wearing long stockings is that the stockings come up very high on the children's legs, which is the situation that almost always requires the bodice or Leibchen. Leibchen tended to have longer garters attached because the garters were usually fastened to the bodice at a level above the waistline. One of our German personal experience writers explains that when very long stockings were worn, bodices with long garters were ecessary because the strap began at a level above the waistline. If the stockings were shorter (i.e. coming up only to mid-thigh), a garter belt with shorter garters would be more common. Many images on HBC show the long length of long stockings were in Germany. We can't actually see the clasp of the garters in this photograph, but the boy is probably holding up his stockings in this shot with a garter belt (with garters beginning at waist level) rather than by means of the bodice or Leibchen.

Created: 4:00 AM 5/23/2005
Last updated: 5:22 PM 10/30/2007