Figure 1.--This French boy was photographed in 1947. He wears a two piece outfit, a romper bottom and a dressy blouse. The blouse was probably the button-on style. The romper bottoms are very full. The boy is 4 years old. Note the moderate smocking on the button-on blouse.

French boys have worn several different types of rompers. The principal types are the full romper one-piece suit, the bib-front romper, and the romper bottom worn with a blouse or other shirt. A French reader tells that the one-piece suits were the most common. Bib-front rompers are also commonly called sunsuits. Both play and dressrompers can be found in these basic types, although the bib-front romper is primarily a play style. The legs of the rompers were elasticized bubble style and normally very short. The rompers bottoms also varied greatly in how full they blouced out. The chronology of these different types is each different. The original rompers were the one-piece suit type. The blouses worn with the rompers were usually button style, but suspender rompers were also worn. The blouses varied widely in style and included Peter Pan collars and puff sleeves. Some of the blouses were smocked. There are many variations on both the one-piece-suit rompers and the blouses as to how the garments buttoned.

Terminology

Listing the different types or rompers and romper garments has proven a little complicated because French magazines and catalogs were not always consistent in the terms used. Our limited French capability complicates this effort. Thus different terms may describe the same garment. Many of these terms were not commonly used by the public. HBC at this time is having a little difficulty with these different terms. We will list them here along with physical descriptions of the garments and hope to eventually create a comprehensive list pointing out the different terms for the same or related garments.

Types

French boys have worn several different types of rompers. Rompers were worn by children in oseveral countries where they were not strictly a boy's garment. But we see a much greater variety of these garments in France. We do not know of any study which has assessed different types of rompers. We have attempted to identify different types by assessing available images. We are unsure as to precisely wht the correct term was for these different types of rompers. The principal types are the full romper one-piece suit, the bib-front romper, and the romper bottom worn with a blouse or other shirt. The one-piece romper or barboteuse was the classic French romper garment, but has we can be seen there were quite a variety of these garments. There are, however, some other types of varying popularity. There are many variations on both the one-piece-suit rompers and the blouses as to how the garments buttoned. We welcome any insights our French readers may be anle to offer here.

Conventions

Rompers were primarily aplay garment for younger boys. They prived so popular in France, however, they rompers were also made for more formal occassions. Here the difference was often in the material ised and the detailing. Both play and dress rompers can be found in these basic types, although the bib-front romper is primarily a play style.

Stylistic Elements

The legs of the rompers were elasticized bubble style and normally very short. The rompers bottoms also varied greatly in how full they blouced out. A French reader reports that basis rompers had got a waistband fabric band that was tied at the back. The traditional rompers was closed at the front and had 2-4 buttons at the back. They were not worn with neck bows. Many of the blouses worn with romper pants, however, ber front buttoning. They were normally worn buttoned to the neck rather than open collars.

Chronology

The chronology of the different types of French rompers varies. The original rompers were the one-piece suit type and first appeared in 1922.