Figure 1.--Dutch boys, like many boys in countries bordering Germany, wore leerhose. HBC is not sure, however, how common it was. Note the heavy cardigan-like sweater. |
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The Dutch term for short trousers is "korte broek". Above the knee short pants appeard after the turn of the 20th century and became increasingly common in the 1910s. The major influence here was the English. Dutch boys have worn many different types of shorts. Younger boys might wear button-on styles. Many boys wore suspener shorts. Some Dutch boy wore lederhosen as was popular in neihboring Germany.
Short pants in the Netherlands appeard after the turn of the 20th century and became increasingly common in the 1910s. We are not sure what the major influence were here. The Scouts whuch by the 1910s had become a popular group and were probanly an important influence. Most Dutch boys wore short pants from the 1920s through the 1950s. The original short pants were as long as kneepanrs. Some shorter styles were worn by younger boys, we believe beginning in the 1920s. Mist boys, however, wore longer shorts. In the 1960s shorts became shorter and boys upto 13-14 kept wearing them, some also in the winter months. In the 1970s boys upto 12-13 were still wearing shorts. In the 1980s the wearing of shorts became more and more something for boys in elementary school and in vacations. In the 1990s short shorts became rare and almost all young boys wear longer shorts.
The Dutch term for trousers is "broek". Short trousers are "korte broek".
Dutch boys have worn many different types of shorts. Younger boys might wear button-on styles. Many boys wore suspener shorts. A few Dutch boy wore lederhosen as was popular in neihboring Germany.
Many younger boys wore suspender shorts. This appears to have been an especially stle in the 1940s an 50s. It is somewhat related to the Tyrolian style.
Another metod of keeping a younger boy's short pants up, beside suspender shorts, was button-on shorts. This was also a popular style in other countries, especially during the 1930s-40s, including the United States. I'm not sure what age Dutch boy wore these shirts. The available image shows a boy about 5-years old, bith HBC believes that older boys also wore them. The buttons could be quite large--becoming an element of the styling. This depended somewhat on the age of the boy wearing them.
Lederhosen or leather shorts were not common in the
Netherlands. In a typical school class during the 1950s-60s, perhaps one boy might wear them. They were more popular in the southern part of the Netherlands where more boys wore lederhosen. Actually in the Netherlands the term "lederhosen" was not commonly used, even though the Dutch language is stronly related to German. Rather the Dutch referred to them as "Tiroler" pants. The Trioler style was of some influence and shorts with the Tiroler look were made in other material such as knits, which were very popular in the Netherlands.
We see children with much more extensive wardrobes in the prosperous times that followed World War II. Children tended to more commonly have casual and play clothes. And casual clothes became more common tgo wear. Casual short pants became increasingly popular in the 1960s. And we see very short cut shorts beginning in the 1960s. They were many different types of casual shorts including denim shorts and by the 1970s shorts made in a range of sports styles. Short pants became increasingly seen as a casual, summer style rather than a dedicated all-year style for boys.
HBC has little information on styling details for the short pants worn by Dutch boys. The most obvious is the how the length of the shorts has changed over time. Boys tended to wear knee length shorts through the 1940s. Younger boys might wear shorter shorts. There were also some specialized styles for younger boys. The length of the shorts began to get shiorter in the 1950s andcby the 1970s boys might wear quite short shorts--although they were by then not commonly worn with suits for dressing up.
Flannel shorts were popular in the inter-war era. Knits shorts were a very popular type for younger boys in the 1950s anf 60s, although HBC is not sure when they first appeared. A few boys wore leather ledershosen, especilally in Flemish areas. In the 1970s denim shorts appeared. Dress shorts in the inter-war period were commonly flannel.
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Short pants were common for Dutch boys up to about 16 years while they were still in school during the inter-war years (1918-39). The Netherlands was invaded by Germany in 1840, despoite the fact that it was a neutral country. HBC jhas little informatiion on clothing trends during the German occupation. The difficult economic conditions mean that there was little time for fashion trends to develop. Dutch boys continue wearing short pants after World War II (1939-45). In the immediate post-war era, many older boys wore short pants because of the difficult ecnomoic conditions. Their parents just couldn't aford a new suit for them. Gradually as economic conditions improved, older boys began wearing long pants. Boys who left scgool early might begin wearing long pants at an earlier age. It was however through the 1950s for Durch boys to wear short pants (when they were still going to school). In the 1960s shorts became shorter and boys upto 13-14 kept wearing them, some also in the winter months.
In the seventies boys upto 12-13 were still wearing shorts. In the eighties wearing of shorts became more and more something for boys in
elementary school and in vacations. In the ninetees short shorts became rare and almost all the young boys who still did wear shorts wore longer ones.
Many boys in the inter-war years wore short pants all year round, even during the cold winter months. Some older boys might wear knickers. This continue after World War II. In the immediate post-war era, many boys wore short pants all year round because their parents just couldn't aford seasonal wardrobes. The Netherlands like the rest of Europe was devestated by the War. Many did not even have jobs. Gradually as economic conditions improved, boyys began to acquire seasonal clothing. Older boys began wearing long pants in the winter. In thecold winter months most boys did wear long trousers, but some did wear shorts throughou the whole year.
HBC does not yet have information on the popularity of short pants among Dutch boys.
In the Flemish part of Belgium (adjacent to Flanders in Belgium), boys wore Tiroler pants much more than in the rest of the Netherlands. But even in the Flemish aeas, Tiroler pants wwere not as common as in Germany where many boys wore lederhosen.
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