Figure 1.--Grey school shorts in the 1970s and 80s were styled like continental shorts, shorter than British boys had traditionally worn. While still common in the 1970s, the popularity og grey school shorts declined significantly in the 1980s.

English boys clothes changed remarkably during the late 20th century. In many ways the destinctive styles worn by English boys gradually gave way to the more universal fashions popular with European and American boys.

The 1970s

There was a major change in the attitude towards boys' clothing in Britain during the 1970s. The effect of the late 1960s revolution in youth thinking allied to a change in the perception of young people by the adults of the time led to a less prescriptive dress sense. Boys began asking for all kinds of new fashions. Parents began to give increasing importance to what boys wanted. Income levels were rising, and families had coinsiderable discressionable income. Contributors mention all sorts of ludicrous styles, such as purple loon pants. Tank tops were also the "in" thing together with "woodies" which were fairly normal looking shoes except for the multi-ply wooden soles. The 1970s were a particularly weird time for fashion and perhaps we should be grateful for the punk revolution in the late 1970s which, if nothing else, took stupidity in clothing to the ultimate limits. One of the major trends during the period was the persisent trend toward casual, less formal dress. One of the most noticeable changes was the shify from short to long pants, even for younger boys. While boys increasingly wore long pants for formal wear, school, and Scouts, various styles of shorts for casual wear grew in popularity. Other trends include the decling popularity of kneesocks and school sandals.

Figure 2.--These boys model hair styles and casual shorts popular in the 1970s. They reflect the shorter cut shorts with Continental styling that forst appeared in the 1960s.

The style of short pants which were still worn by any boys for school and cubs changed in the late 1960s and early 1970s to a more Continental look. The long, baggy flannel shorts worn through the 1950s disappeared. Boys by the 1970s wore much shorter cut short pants, most commonly made of Tereyln blends. Terelyn was a British trade mark for polyester. Short pants became benerally longer in the 1990s, but many schools had begun dropping the requirement to wear shorts in the 1980s. Only a few schools still required shorts by the 1990s.

Other styles of short pants were worn in the 1970s. Jean shorts were a popular style of casual short pants. Mothers for a dressier look liked to buy velour shorts for their younger boys, usually in dark blues anf browns. They had an almost velvet look. These were simple shorts with elastic waists and no pockets. They were not very popular with boys, even the youger ones.

The 1980s

Boys when not required by school or Cubs to wear shorts, generally liked to wear jeans which by the 1970s were becoming widely popular. Sweatpants appeared in the 1980s and proven a big hit with boys. Jogging pants with elastic on the cuffs were popular in the early 1990s, but most boys in the late-1990s no longer liked them saying they looked awful and were uncomfortable. Boys in the late 1990s did like combat trousers.

Many American styles such as T-shirts, swearshirts, baseball caps, and sports gear with football team logos made their debut in the 1980s and proved very popular. Boys commonly wore baggy "T" shirts with bright long sleeved shirt over the top.

School sandals were still commonly worn in the 1970s, but gradually became less popular. The style also changed with the "T" straps becoming thicker so that they looked liked shoes. Sneakers became very popular, epecially by the 1980s. Some boys in the late 1990s liked to wear Kickers shoes--a bit like deck shoes.

Scouts had gone to long trousers in 1969. Cubs continued to swear shorts in the 1970s, but by the 1980s long pants were becoming increasingly common even for Cubs. Many Cubs still wore shorts, but long pants were becoming increasingly popular, especially as fewer boys were wearing grey shorts to school.

Figure 3.--English boys like boys in America in the new era of globlazied children's fashions during the 1990s often wore casual clothes with sports and corporate logos.

The 1990s

Boys school uniform became increasingly informal in the 1990s, except for the shidt to long trousers. Almost all boys wore long pants to school. Even in elementary schools long pants were commonly worn. A few elementary schools continued to require shorts, mostly Church of England schools and private schools. With few exceptions, only the younger boys were required to wear shorts. Some schools used shorts as a summer uniform.

Boys in the summer by the 1990s commonly wore sports kit, often with football team logos. Sweat pants were very commonly worn.

Cubs maintained the same uniforms during the 1970s and 80s, but by the 1990s fewer Cubs wore the traditional peaked cap or grey shorts. The Scouts wore the same long pamts uniform introduced in 1969. Many Scout groups became less strict about the uniform by the 1990s. Most Scouts would wear the green scout shirt but many did not like the fawn scout trousers.

Personal Experiences

Some interesting details are available on specific families as well as articles from fashion magazines:

The 1970s
The 1970s
The 1970-80s: Scotland
The 1970-80s: Formal clothes for church
The 1970s: Stephen
The 1970-80s: My short pants suit and buying school shorts
The 1980s
The 1990s: Andy


Note: As you can see, I'm just getting started here. I'd be very interested in any input my British visitors might offer.

Interesting Link

Some other interesting web sites have information on English boys clothing:
English boys clothing: The 1930s-90s
School Uniform Web Site: Informative review of British school uniforms with some excellent photographs
British prep schools: Prep school uniforms in the 1980s

Created: Octoner 4, 1999
Last updated: February 4, 2003