Figure 1.--German bpys wore long stockings with both long and short pants. They were less commonly worn with lederhosen. This boy near Kiel in 1957 did wear liong stockings with lederhosen. It was a cool day and his mother suggested it. Notice that he wears them wth ankle socks and sandals. He was 13 years old, a bit older than the age at which most boys wore long stockings with shorts.

German boys wore long stockings were worn with a wide variety of garments. This varied chronologically. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, long stockings were worn with most outfits a boy might wear, both dress and casual garments. They were of course most common in the cooler months, but buy older boys might be worn during the summer as well with kneepnats. This was especially true with suits and other dress outfits. After World War I long stockings became strongly associated with cold weather wear. Boys less commonly wore them with suits for formal occassions. They were worn with short and long pants during cool and cold weather. Noys wore them to school and for play. While worn with short pants, they were not commonly worn with lederhosen. I'm not sure why this was. It could be because lederhosen were oftenm made quite short and the long stockings were not long enough. Or it could be because lederhosen were popular for roughing it and outdoor wear and boys saw short socks and kneesocks as more suitable for this purpose as you did not have to worry about stocking supporters and keeping the long stockings up. While less worn with lederhosen tha other types of short pants, we have noted that some boys did wear them with lederhosen. Long stockings were also not commonly worn with athletic gear. This was a major difference with tights when they appeared in the late 1950s. Tights were sometimes worn for sports, such as football (soccer) during the winter.