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Swiss boys wore many of the same garments as boys in neighboring countries, especially Germany and France. The fact that the two major linguistic groups in Switzerland are French and German is a factor here. Clothing styles seem more dtermined by language than the fact that the boys are Swiss. Boys are best known for wearing leerhosen, but they are now more folk dress than garments commonly worn by moern Swiss boys. Young Swiss boys in the 19th and early 20th century were commonly outfitte in dresses, as was the case of other European countries an America. Sailor suits were a popular style for Swiss boys as was the case in most European countries. They were commonly worn by boys in German, French, and Italian speaking areas of Switzerland. Switzerland is a multi-cultural and linguistic country. Smocks were commonly worn by Swiss-Italian and Swiss-French boys, but less so than the Swiss-German boys. They were mostly worn to school. As far as boys clothing is concerned, the French speaking part of Switzerland was comparable to France. HBC knows of no specific Swiss style for Swiss boys suits. Presumably Swiss boys in the early 19th century wore skeleton suits like boys in other European countries. Swiss boys by the mi-19th century were wearing suits with more modern styling an long pants. Gradually by the 1870s, kneepants suits had become more common for boys. I'm not sure when knicker suits began to be worn. Short pants suits with modern styling appeared in the 1910s and were wiely worn by the 1920s. Gradually suits became less commonly worn and were much less common by the 1940s. One European readers tells HBC that lederhosen were not worn in Switzerland. Unlike other Alpine countries, lederhosen were not commonly worn in Switzerland. Some readers, however, tell us that some Swiss boys did wear lederhosen. This appears to have been especially true among Swiss boys of German ancestry. Younger Swiss boys, especially in the French-speaking areas, commonly wore closed toe sandals, both English-style school sandals and single bar sandals. HBC is not sure when Swiss boys began wearing sandals, probably the 1920s. They were commonly worn until the 1960s. Swiss boys like German boys also continued wearing long stockings in the 1920s as they were declining in popularity in other
countries. Swiss boys also wore tights.
Young Swiss boys in the 19th and early 20th century were commonly outfitte in dresses, as was the case of other European countries an America. HBC has no details about this custom in Switzerland. It was presumably similar to the fashion in neighboring countries, especially Germany and Framce.
Switzerland is a multi-cultural and linguistic country. Smocks were commonly worn by Swiss-Italian and Swiss-French boys, but less
so than the Swiss-German boys. They were mostly worn to school. As far as boys clothing is concerned, the French speaking part of Switzerland was comparable to France. It was compulsory for boys to wear a smock until 9-10 in the years 1930-1960, about one third would then continue up to end of primary school around 12 years. The style and colors of these smocks were left to the parents discretion, there was no uniformity but a wide variety in mainly three styles: back buttoning, side buttoning, and a pinafore style.
Pinafores were widekly worn in Switzerland into the 1960s, commonly as a school garment. Children wore noth smocks and pinafores. A British visitor provides some details.
We do not have a lot of information on Switzerland yet. We note the younger boy in the Swiss Kessler-Trümpi family wearing a tunic outfit in 1840. We suspect that Swiss tunics were essentially the same as Germn tunics. The French minority may have been more influenced by France. We note Swiss children like many European children wearing a variety of tunic suits in the early 20th century. The Geneva boy here is an example (figure 1).
Sailor suits were a popular style for Swiss boys as was the case in most European countries. They were commonly worn by boys in German, French, and Italian speaking areas of Switzerland. The styles worn probably reflected the styles popular in these three countries, but HBC at this time has few etails about such stylistic differences.
HBC knows of no specific Swiss style for Swiss boys suits. Presumably Swiss boys in the early 19th century wore skeleton suits like boys in other European countries. Swiss boys by the mi-19th century were wearing suits with more modern styling an long pants. Gradually by the 1870s, kneepants suits had become more common for boys. I'm not sure when knicker suits began to be worn. Short pants suits with modern styling appeared in the 1910s and were wiely worn by the 1920s. Gradually suits became less commonly worn and were much less common by the 1940s. Knicker suits disappeared in the 1950s and short pants suits became much less common in the 1960s. Today modern Swiss boys, as other European boys, do not commonly dress up, but when they do, they normally wear a single breasted, longpants suits.
We notoice Swiss boys wearing many different types of trousers. Knee pants were common in the early 20 century. We see many boys wearing short pants after World War I (1914-18). Knickers seem nore common in Switzerland than other European countries, perhaps because of the cold weather in a very mountaneous country. In other countries we see mostly teenagers wearing knickers, but we see many school-age boys wearing them in Switzerland. Short pants were very common after World War II. but gradually we see more boys wearing long pants. Like knickers we see quite a number of younger boys wearing long pants in Switzerland before it became common in the rest of Europe.
Knickers were commonly worn by Swiss boys. Mostly older boys wore them as younger boys commonly wore short pants. Often boys wore knickers rather than long pants after graduating from short pants. Some younger boys who mostly wore shorts did have knickers for the colder winter months. During the summer knickers were often worn with ankle socks. Knickers were commonly worn through the 1940s and
into the 1950s. Afterward they became associated with cold weather clothes.
One European readers tells HBC that lederhosen were not worn in Switzerland. Unlike other Alpine countries, lederhosen were not commonly worn in Switzerland. Some readers, however, tell us that some Swiss boys did wear lederhosen. This appears to have been especially true among Swiss boys of German ancestry. They were less popular among French Swiss boys. I think that some Swiss Scouts wore them. They were worn by some boys as casual wear until boys in the late began to more commonly wear jeans in the 1970s.
We see many Swiss boys wearing suspenders in the early 20th century. Suspender pants and H-bar pants were also very common.
Swiss boys like German boys also continued wearing long stockings in the 1920s as they were declining in popularity in other countries. Swiss boys also wore tights. A Swiss reader from a french-speaking family reports that going to primary school in the 1940s that boys mostly wore short pants under their smocks. During the winter some boys switched to knickers. The other boys that kept wearing shorts would commonly wear over-the-knee stockings. HBC is unsure at this time as to when tights began to replace long stockings. Tights were weorn by younger boys in several European countries. Most of the countries were northern ones, but the high elevations in Switzerland means that the weather there canb also be quite cold. HBC has only limited information on long stockings in Switzereland. Readers have provided varying accounts, and HBC is unable to assess the situation in Switzerland at this time.
A Swiss reader tells us, "You will have to use controsions to pronounce the Swiss word for Waists.
It is "Gschtaeltli". Even in the Jelmoi catoalog the name it like that. They do not even use the German word, which is "Leibchen".
Younger Swiss boys, especially in the French-speaking areas, commonly wore closed toe sandals, both English-style school sandals and single bar sandals. HBC is not sure when Swiss boys began wearing sandals, probably the 1920s. A good example are St. Gallan Kindergsrten children about 1950. Swiss boys wore them until the 1960s.
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