Figure 1.--This Italian boy was photographed in Milan during January 1866. He was 4 and a half years old. He wears a velvet tunic and knickers-length pants. There is a belt over his tunic. Notice the fanvy stockings and shoes. Image courtesy of the MD collection.

HBC has very limited Chronological information on Itlaian boys' clothing. Our information begins in the 19th century, but we eventually want to develop information from paintings with boys clothing from early centuries. We notice most of the styles wore in other European countries like France and Britain. Italian boys appear to have worn tunic suits in the mid-19th century. We note velvet suits with knicker-length pants. Some boys wore belts over their tunics. Collars and bows were small until the 1870s. Shoes and stockings seem fancier than in Britain and America. Fauntleroy and sailor suits became popular in the late 19th century. Many boys wore wide-brimmed sailor hats. School children commonlu wore smocks, but I am not sure just when that began. I am not sure how common smocks were outside of school. Short pants became common after World War I and were commonly worn by Italian boys through the 1950s. Kneesocks and long stockings were not as common in Italy, especially southern Italy, presumably because of the climate. Long pants began to become more common in the 1960s.

Ancient Rome

Roman civilization had an incalcualble impact on Western civilixzation. As such this is a topic we plan to develop in some detail, although we have just begun to serious address it. The Romans did have specialized clothing for boys. Very detailed information is available on Roman clothing. Information is available from paintings, statues and written documents. Rome during its early monarchy, republican, and imperial eras lasting nearly 1,000 years basically maintained the same clothing styles. Most clothes were made out of wool or linen, as was the case in Greece. Imported fabrics such as cotton and silk were very expensive. In cold climates fur and felt were also used. Most garments were made up of large uncut pieces of cloth and they were folded and pinned with "fivulate" or they were tied with belts. Garments requiring elaborate sewing were rare, as most needles were made of bone and therefore intricate sewing was difficult. Clothes were mainly the natural colors of their fibers, but some clothes were bleached white or dyed various shades.

Medieval Era

HBC has very limited dhronological information on Itlaian boys' clothing. Our information primarily begins in the 19th century because we depend so heavily on photograohy. But we want to develop information on earlier centutries. The Middle Ages is long period. And very limited information is available on the early period. Painting and oher visual arts was primitive in the early period. Much more infomation is availble on the lte-middle ges, especially as we approach the Renaisance. We are working on Medieval Europe, but have not yet devloped a lot of inormation on Italy. Hopefully HBC readers will alert us to some appropriate art work. We do notice a 12th century mosaic from Palermno showing clothing worn by adults and boys.

Italian Renaisance (14th-16th Centuries)

The Renaisance began in Italy and thus the increasingly accurate depictions and the painting of secular scenes appears earlier in Italy than any where else in Europe. Although generally classified by most scholars as the last century of the medieval era, the 14th century is generally seen as the beginning of the Renaissance and the beginning of a modern state of mind. "Renaissance" means "rebirth" in French and describes the cultural and economic changes that occurred in Europe beginning in the 14th century. The precise time is difficlt to set and of course varied accross Europe. The Renaissance began at Firenze around 1300 and gradually spread north. Even so, the indicators that constitute the Renaissance did not reach other areas of Europe 1-2 centuries. It was during the Renaissance that Europe emerged from the Feudal System of the Middle Ages. The stagnant Medieval economy began to expand. The Renaissance was not just a period of economic growth. It was an age of intense cultural ferment. Enormous changes began in artistic, social, scientific, and political endevours. Perhaps of greatest importance was that Europeans began to develop a radically different self image as they moved from a God-centered to a more humanistic outlook.

17th Century

18th Century

19th Century

We notice most of the styles wore in other European countries like France and Britain. Italian boys appear to have worn tunic suits in the mid-19th century. We note a boy wearing a velvet suits with knicker-length pants in 1866. Most boys from maffluent families appear to have worn knicker-length pants. The 1860s were an especially important decade for Italy as it was in that decade that the country was finally unified. Some boys in the 1860s wore belts over their tunics. Collars and bows were small until the 1870s. Shoes and stockings seem fancier than in Britain and America (figure 1). We note boys wearing fancier suits in the 1870s with elaborate pipubg and embroidered designs. Military enspired designs appear popular. Fauntleroy and sailor suits became popular in the late 19th century. I am not positive when sailor suits first appeared in Italy. The earliest image we have at this time is from the 1880s, but we presume that sailors suits were probably worn before that. Many boys wore wide-brimmed sailor hats. School children commonly wore smocks, but I am not sure just when that began. I am not sure how common smocks were outside of school.

20th Century

We notice many of the same styles worn throughout Europe also worn by Italian boys. We have not yet developed detailed information on Italian boys clothing, in part because we have realtively few images from Italyh as well as little information on Italian fashion. This is a serious shortcoming as Italy is an especially important country concerning European fashion. We note many Italian boys wearing sailor suits in the early 20th century. We are less sure how common Fauntleroy suits were. Knepants were commonly wirn by Italian boys of all ages. We are less sure about hosiery trends, but believe that because of the clomate that long stockings were less common than in northern Italy. We note Italian children waring school smocks in the early 20th century, but are unsure how common smocks were outside of school. Rompers were worn by younger boys. Sandals appear to have been especially popular. Short pants became common after World War I and were commonly worn by Italian boys through the 1950s. Older boys might wear knickers. Kneesocks and long stockings were not as common in Italy, especially southern Italy, presumably because of the climate. We note Italian boys wearing singlet type undershirts as casual shirts. Long pants began to become more common in the 1960s. Italian bous by the 1970s were commonly wearing jeans. The pan-European fashion trends by the 1980s meany that there were few destinctive styles worn in Italy as elsewhere in Europe.

21st Century

Italian boys clothes were increasingly casual in the 2000s. We nkte the same popular styles as worn in other European countries and the United States. We notice many boys wearing tank-tops, T-shirts, and sweat shorts. We also note lots of clothes with sports logo. Of course the Italian football team gear was very popular during 2006 when Italy won the World Cup. The long-baggy shorts that became popular in the late-1900s continue popular in the 2000s. Smeakers were very popular. We also notice flip-flops.

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Created: March 18, 2003
Last updated: 11:22 PM 10/3/2006