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The 20th century saw the development of comfortable, practical clothing for children designed for the more casual life-style of the modern boy. Some 19th century styles remained popular ion the eraly 20th century, but majpr changes were easily observable after World War I (1914-18). Available information suggests that smocks were commonly worn by boys in the early 20th century. Boys wore blue smocks to school. Other popular outfits appear to be sailor suits and above the knee bloomer knickers. A well dressed boy in the early 20th century appears to have always worn a sailor hat or a variety of stylish caps. After World War I in the inter-war era, little boys no longer commonly wore dresses. French mothers, however, did adapt a number of styles for such as modified Fautleroy suits with short shirts, white kneesocks, and strap shoes. A whole generation of French boys were wiped out in World War I. I can see why boys born after that War were cherished by their parent and grandparents. French boys in the 1920s were outfitted in the new short pants style. Certainly not having to wear long stockings in the summer must have been more comfortable. French short pants by the l930s were generally worn shorter than in England,
often well above the knees, and not as baggy. French boys, even older boys, commonly wore shorts during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Younger boys might wear short pants all year round, including the winter--but with knee socks. Some mothers might buy long pants for winter wear. Most boys, however, mostly wore shorts. Formal short pants suits were worn with knee socks, but ankle socks were often worn on more casual occasions and were more common than in England. Short pants and knickers were widely worn by French boys in the 1920s and 30s. After World War II short pants were still worn, but gradually gave way to jeans and other casual clothes. The Paris Student riots had an important impact on fashion. French boys today dress virtually indistinguisably from boys in Germany, Spain, Italy, Britain, and the United States. Boys wear jeans, large "t" shirts, sweat shirts, and tennis shoes--a kind of pan-European style for boys and teenagers. Distinctive French outfits are a thing of the past. Baseball caps are less popular in France than in America, but that is one of the few differences.
Fashions changes occurred continually in the 20th century. It is often possible to date an image by decade based on clothing styles, although fashion overlaps make it impossible to do this with any precession. Despite the changes each decade, there were many similarities during the two half centuries. There was still considerable formality in the early-20th century. Even younger children were often dressed formally. And there were pronounced social class differences. This commonly was expressed in the qukity and variety of garments as well as styles. Working-class children and many middle-class children commonly had very limited wardrobes. Children had two sort of garments: some for week-day wear and a best ouitfit for Sunday wear.
The school-week-clothes normaly were changed each week, the Monday or the Friday. The underclothes were changed the Sunday and Thursday. This was becuse clothes were relatively expensive and laundry without washing machines was a drugery for mother. There were no classes Thursday and Sunday. Hollyday were in July and August.
They had many fetes whitout school. n the cities, work for children less 13 years was forbidden. In the country the children could help their parents on the farm. The tragedy of World War I had a fundamental impact on France and other European countries. One was formality. We see much less formality after the war, although suits were still quite common. One convention remained constant in tht boys still wore shortebed-length pants. Before the war, knee pants were common and short pants were common after the war. The shoetrs were at first knee length, but gradually got shorter. Boys in the first half of the century usually wote knee pants or shory pants. Older boys nmight wear knickers. Many boys got long pants for the first time when he did his First Communion at avout ahe 12 years. The long pants were usually with a new suit for the ceremony. But other than this he commonly wore short ants for school and casual play wear. So except for formal occassions, little changed. Boys might wear shorts until they were 14-15 years old or in some families even longer. Here social class was a factor. Working-class boys often began wearing short pnts before middle-class and upper-class boys. A factor here was that in the early-20th century, Children were smaller and tended to look younger and they were dressed in more juvenil fashions. Mother took on a greater role in family life because so many men were lost in the War. This was probably a factor in popular juvenile styles like rompers, blouses, and short pants. Children did not mature and experience puberty as rapidly as they do today. Girls did not begin to be young ladies until after 14 years, today 11 years old is more common. Boys began to experience their voices breaking at about 14 years of age, often not until at 15 years. Today it is more like 12 years. The difference seems to be dietary. Such changes also affect a child's outlook and thinking and how he wants to dress.
The trend toward casual clothing continued after World war II. And major economic changes followed. There was war damage in Fance, but France unlike Gernmany was not devestated. Most French cities including Paris were still standing. The French and other major economies in Western Europe grew after World War II. American aid and European integration were important factors. The moving force behind integration was probably political, to make another war impossible. Even so there were major economic consequences. By the 1950s, people on continental Europe (here the British lagged behind) were more prosperous than they were before the War. The boom in Germany is known as the German Economic Miracle, but there wee comparable changes in France, Italy and other countries as well. Factoy output boomed. Contrary to popular belief, the loss of colonies did not asdversely affect France. As a result of the economic expansion, many working-class families joined the middle class because of the high wages and improved educational opportunity. Fashion was one of the sectors affected. With higher disposable income, people dressed better. Children had much better wardrobes. It becme more difficult to destingish working-class anmd middle-class children by the way they dressed. And with washing machines, people began changing their clothes more often. People with higher wages also began eating better, at least richer foods. This seems to have affected among other things, the age of puberty. And this affected along with media and American influences how children wanted to dress. A reader writes, "About 20th century children, "Children from early 20th century lived in anther time, other world from modern children. My older daughter became a young lady at 15 years old. Now one if nmy granddaughters is acting like a young lady at age and she is only 10 years old. My grandsons are much alike. My voice did not break until I was 15 years old in the 1950s. My own son's voice broke when she was 13 years old. In my time during the 40s, children were very innocent. we knew nothing of sensual matter. The major swear words were unknow to us. We had our own swear words, but they wre not the bad ones that adults used. Today, with media, television it is a disaster! A child just 5 years old knows the the worse swear words.
French boys continued to commonly wear short pants after the war. The style was prevalent well into the 1950s. Traditional styles tended to persist longer in many rural areas. One reader tells me that he recalls
several references to clothes worn by French boys. One book written by an American anthropoligist, "French Village" (precise citation unavailable), is a study of a French village during the 1950's. He remarks that his neighbor had three boys and they all wore smocks. His 5 year old son at first insisted that they were girls. The youngest boy also had long hair. Apparently it was the custom in that village as late as the 1950s for boys to wear their hair long until they started school at 5 years of age. The boy above started school with his hair uncut because he was to be in a wedding. The parents had to get the permission of the lady school teacher in order to do this. French boys tended to wear short pants than were shorter and trimer than the long baggy shorts generally worn by English boys at the time. I am not sure why this difference existed. It began to develop in the 1920s and was quite apparent in the 1930s and persisted into the post World War II era. It was a widely acceptred convention and persisted even as French boys began to less commonly wear short pants. Smocks and shorts were less common in the 1960s, but still worn by many boys. Smocks were still commonly worn in many elementary schools. Many boys still commonly wore shorts, both for play and dress in the early 1960s. Probably about half of French boys still wore shorts until they were 12 or 13 years old. Many of these boys, however, might
have long pants for cold weather wear during the winter. Major changes followed the Paris Student riots in 1968. In many ways the French student movement was a watershead between the postwar World War II era and the modern era, not only in France but in Europe at large. Similar trends were occuring in America because of the rising opposition to the war in Vietnam. The students
involved were older teenagers and young adults, but the impact in only a few years filtered down to the elementary-age chilfren and younger teenagers. Boys increasinly wanted to wear the long pants and jeans the older boys were wearing.
French boys today dress virtually indistinguisably from boys in Germany, Spain, Italy, Britain, and the United States. A major changed occurred after the Paris student riots of 1968. Boys wear jeans, large "t" shirts, sweat shirts, and tennis shoes--a kind of pan-European style for boys and teenagers. Distinctive French outfits are a thing of the past. Baseball caps are less popular in France than in America, but that is one of the few differences. A French reader reports that "Nowadays in France the children fashion have a lot influence because of the Moslems from North Africa present in our country." French girls now wear dresses much less than in the past. Many wear jeans. A French reader reports that the boys preferd wear is "bermuda" perhaps to not annoy the more conservative immigrants. Boys in the 1990s began wearing longer knee length shorts instead of the shorter cut shorts that were once popular. This may be in part influenced by the Moslem minority.
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