Figure 1.-- Knee socks in England by the 1980s were becomijg increasingly associated with school socks.

Knee socks were commnly worn year round for school, play, leasure events, and formal wear. During the summer many boys might wear ankle socks or even sandals without socks. Knee socks were worn with a variety of shoes, inluding sandals. Knee socks were commnly worn year round for school, play, leasure events, and formal wear. During the summer many boys might wear ankle socks or even sandals without socks. Knee socks were worn with a variety of shoes, inluding sandals. Kneesocks were common n England right from when shorts became the common fashion in the early 20th century. We begin to see boys wearing ankle socks during the simmer in the 1940s, but knee socks continued to be common into the 1960s. By the 1970s, short trousers and kneesocks became more associated with schoolwear. We note references to school socks. This generally mean grey kneesocks or knee sicks with school colors in the tirn-over tops. A reader writs, "I have told you that in the 1960s once Spring arrived my Mum made us wear ankle socks out of school for casual wear but even in the Summer kneesocks were the rule at school and my Mum even thought them more appropriate for "best" (church and so on) rather than short socks. Cubs and scouts also wore kneesocks. This may have been the same in Germany and other European countries - ankle socks were seen as "casual"/play wear whereas for more formal occaisions - school, church, youth groups, dress up and so on kneesocks were more the rule. In England anyhow kneesocks for school also allowed the school colours to be displayed prominently on the turn-over tops. I always preferred kneesocks with shorts as I did even out of school. When I went to Germany I wore my school kneesocks (neatly pulled up and gartered!) with my sandals even in the height of Summer even though the German boy that I stayed with wore short socks with his but that may have been his Mum's choice.When we went to meet the Mayor he wore white kneesocks. (Which I found very odd!) So even there kneesocks seemed the done thing for formal occaisions. At home my Mum would have insisted on short socks with sandals out of school which I hated but then again she would not have allowed sandals for formal wear anyhow even though they were allowed at school - with kneesocks!" As knee socks began to become less populsr in thre 1970s, they continued to be part of school unifirms, especially a private scgools.

Created: 5:01 AM 6/27/2008
Last updated: 5:01 AM 6/27/2008