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English boys have worn knee pants, short pants, bloomer knickers, knickers, and long pants, although the chronology is somewhat different than in America and other countries. Until the 20th century, the types and styles of trousers appear similar in both England and the Continent and America. Modern trousers appeared in the 17th century. Knee breeches were standard thrrought the 18th century. An exception here were the long pants skeleton suits that boys began wearing in the late 18th century. Long trousers were sandard in the early 19th century. Various style of shortened-length trousers became popular for boys beginning in the mid-19th century. At first only little boys wore them, but they gradually became popular for older boys as well. Some garments like short pants which became popular after World War I became almost associated with English boys--although they are not now commonly worn in England except during the summer and at a few schools. After World War II, especially by the 1960s, long trousers became increasingly popular for boys. Short trousers continued to be worn at school for a while. Graddually shorts became more casual, summer wear.
English boys have worn knee pants, short pants, bloomer knickers, knickers, and long pants, although the chronology is somewhat different than in America and other countries. Until the 20th century, the types and styles of trousers appear similar in both England and the Continent and America. Modern trousers appeared in the 17th century. Knee breeches were standard thrrought the 18th century. An exception here were the long pants skeleton suits that boys began wearing in the late 18th century. Long trousers were sandard in the early 19th century. Various style of shortened-length trousers became popular for boys beginning in the nid-19th century. At first only little boys wire them, but they gradually became popular for older boys as well. British boys in the early 20th century commonly wore knee pants and to a lesser extent "knickerbockers". Baden Powell introducded short trousers as part of the Boy Scout unifirm in 1907. These early short pants, however, were cut quite long, much like the knee pants being sorn at the time. These pants were commonly worn by all social classes. Boys from affluent families might be the first boys to wear long trousers. Another factor was school. Working class boys often finished primary school at avout 3-14 years old. They did not commonly go on to secondary school and after they began working commonly wanted long trousers. Boys mostly wore shorts with knee-length socks.
The Great War really saw the srart of massive shifts in all areas of life as
the population was depleted of so many of its young men at the same time as
more advances socially for the working classes who started to realise they
need not be kept down by the aristocracy. In true British understated style
this was done via steady progress rather than revolution. The next big
change in social thinking came on the back of the Second World War as
attitudes again showed marked changes. This was also a time of some
American influence - albeit not as much as some would have others believe;
there has always been a friendly disdain in Europe with regards American
culture and values.
During the 1920s knee pants began to disappear. They were replaced with with heavy,
baggy long (knee length) shorts. As years progressed the length grew shorter. Short-cut shorts showing a Continental influence became standard in the 1960s. They continued popular until the early 1980s by which time long trousers had taken over. In the mid 1990s
there was a definite increase in boys wearing shorts which continues to this
day although this is usually only casually; all but some Prep schools and
some state primaries expecting shorts to be worn. There are still a couple
of London Prep schools who expect their pupils, especially the older boys,
to wear courdroy breeches instead of the shorts worn by the younger ones.
Within senior schools such apparel is now only worn in a few schools with
particular historic connections.
English boys have worn kneepants, short pants, knickers, and long pants as well as a variety of lesser types. The English use the term "Trousers" and the American usage of pants is reserved for underpants. The popularity of the different troser types varied significantly over time. There were also a variety of conventions associated with them. One of the most important was age conventions. Modern pants developed in the 17th century and gradually evolved into the knee breeches that were commonly worn by men and boys in the 18th century. We notice bloomer knickers in the mid-19th century. They were worn by younger boys, initially as part of a suit. Bloomer knickers were worn rather like knee pants and were more popular in England than in America. Knee pants were one of the styles of shortened-length pants thay appeared for boys in the mid-19th century. They were straight-cut pants and not bloused out like knickers. They eventually became standard for British boys and wre widely worn at schools. Knickers or "knickerbockers" as they are more commonly called in England were developed as country wear for English gentlemen in the late 19th century. They were adopted as a school uniform at many English boarding schools and were worn into the early 20th century. Short pants were first commonly worn in England after the turn of the Century. The emensely popular Boy Scout Movement helped to popularize the new shorts, worn with kneesocks rather than the declining kneepants worn with long stockings. They were worn by most English boys through the 1950s, but began to decline in popularity in the 1960s as fewer and younger boys wore short pants suits. The Scouts dropped short pants as part of the school uniform in 1969, although Cubs continued to wear them. By the 1970s they were much less commonly worn, although many schools--especially private preparatory schools and many elementary schools still required them.
Generlly speaking, men's suits are not highly decorated, at least beginning on the 19th cemntury. They are often quite plain. And any decoration if it exists is almost always on the jacket rather than the trousers. This in part is why suits are generally described based on the style of the jacket where most of the styling and decoration is located. There are two major exceptions to this, spaced a century apart. We notice pants for younger boys with extensive embridery in the 19th century, primarilyh in the 1870s. We think this began in the late 1860s, but because so few available CDVs were dated, we can not be more definitive at this time. So far we have primarily noted this in England. We can not say this was only in England, we se some examples in America. As far aswe czan tell, nowhere else but England was it so prevalent. But even in England it was not that common and was atyle for children from affluent families. Working class children did not wear these heavily decorated pants which would have been expensive. The only other example of decorated pants are jeans worn a century later, primarily in the 1970s. Here wee asre primsarily talking about girls. Decorations included applique, bangles, bows, embnroidery, fabric, frills, hem bands, lace, patches, asnd studs (especially sparkly rhinestone studs). The posibilities were endless. Boys of course also commonly wore jeans, but were mich less likely to decorte them.
We are not entirely sure about trouser suspension in England during the 19th century. The probem here is most boys wore suit jackets for formal portraits making it difficult to determin how the trousers were suspended. We note some boys wearing button-on clothing. We think most boys wore suspnders or braces as they were called in Britain. . We know more about the 20th century. We see many boys wearing suspenders. We see some younger boys wearing button-on outfits. After World War I we note more boys wearing belts rather than suspenders in the 1920s. As far as we can tell, belts were the predominant form of trouser suspension by the 1930s. We do not see many boys wearing suspender shorts as were common on the Continent. Many suits, however, were made to be worn with suspenders, especially better quality suits. One popular belt style was the snake belt. I think this was an Englsh invention. I am not sure about the history of the snake belt, but believe it dates from the 19th century. It takes it name from the S-shaped clasp. They were often worn as part of school uniform as they could be done in school colors. Elatic band shorts appeared at mid-century. They were called boxers in America, but I am not sure about England. Many school shorts were done with partial elatic waists. There were also shorts done with side tabs.
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