Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
A Dutch reader has provided us a detailed assessment of Dutch fashion trends in the 1970s. He reports that many modern trends were not common in the Netherlands during the 1960s, except in Amsterdam an the larger cities. Thus he suggests that in fashion terms the 1960s did not begin until the 1970s. He tells us that "It took a few years before the new era had reached the majority of Holland including the younger boys, so for them the 1960s started around 1970."
Dutch boys became little hippies. Most had long hair, somrimes down to their shoulders. Conservative families generally insisted on shorter styles. But even these shorter involved hair covering the ears or a bit longer. In cities, and in more progressive families: boys' hair styles often touched the shoulders. In revolutionairy families: boys with hair far below the shoulders, sometimes halfway their backs. It became increasingly difficult to tell the boys from the girls (especially the younger children), however girls usually had their hair parted in the middle, and boys wore it in a fringe. An important sign: when you see pictures of this period, and a child has long hair in a fringe, it definitely will be a boy.
Clothes were as olourful as you can imagine. Boys could wear yellow, green, orange and bright red trousers with very wide bottom legs. Bell bottoms were popular. Even pink jeans were available, although it was not a popular color for boys. Boys adopted the t-shirt (also in bright colours) as their 'uniform'. T-shirts usually were narrow and short. Most boys wore undershirts under their t-shirts, t-shirts in the Netherlands have never been considered as underwear. Because of the coloured underwear that had been introduced is was very common to see little boys in their t-shirts with the undershirt shining through. Boys also wore printed tanktops, wtih flowers, stars or racing cars etc. printed on. Short trousers became as short as possible. Overalls became populair these days. Not only jeans-overalls, but
again....) in all bright colours and materials like corduroy. With wide bottom hems, of course. Parents bought the overalls for their boys a few sizes too big, the straps were adjustable. Also very common: when boys had tears in their clothes, it was repaired by sewing a plastic sticker or patch on it. For the knees, special patches made of leather were sold (my sister had a pair of apples on her knees..) and little boys with patches on their pants (called 'kniestuk' which means 'knee-piece') were very common. A mother wrote: 'after 20 times repairing the trousers of my young son with stickers, he starts looking like a walking commercial advertisement board, so I finally decided to give him a new pair of trousers' (....). Jeans and jeans-jackets became a sort of national costume for little boys, equally as the situation in America I suppose. The more it was worn-out, faded or repaired the tougher the boy who was wearing it. A typical sentence in those days: 'een jochie met een spijkerjekkie' (means something like 'laddie with a little jeansjacket').
Boys wore mostly leather shoes, but not only in brown and black, but also in all colours. For the summer days: sandals in plastic or leather, worn with bright coloured socks or stockings. Westernboots also became popular. They were expensive, but you could steal the show with them. The first boy at school who wore them (a pair with pointed toes and pretty high-heeled) got questions like 'why do you wear girls shoes?'. But this was in the country. And the leather boots with round noses and not-too-high-heels were certainly accepted and fashionable, even in the country.
Not everyone approved of the short-cut short pants or of the social trends. A Christian school in my hometown wrote a letter to all parents: 'we ask you to dress your son in decent pants, not so short that their underpants are visible." Not all parents were so certain about the way their boys looked. A mother wrote a letter to a Dutch family-magazine (1975): "My son is so girlish. My 6 year-old son really is a child of his time. He wears very long hair and bright coloured clothes, and that fine with me. But I'm a bit worried about his behaviour: he not only likes football and playing with toy-cars, but also likes dolls. Do I have to worry about this?" And the answer: "Not at all. It's a blessing of our time that boys and girls can dress, behave and play in almost the same way. Your child is lucky to have a parent as you, that give him the opportunity."
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