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We have some information on 1937 French advertisements and catalogs at this time, mostly clothes for younger boys. We do note an advertisement from Galeries Lafayette for a knitted sailor outfit for younger boys. We also note the same store offering a shorts set. Galeries Lafayette offered quite a range of school smocks in 1937. The illustrations show girl models, but many of the different smocks are labeled for grls and boys. We also note an advertisement for underwear from the Petit Bateau children's wear company. The reader providing this ad was not positive about the date, but thought it was 1937. Galleries Lafayette coffered a range of pajamas and sleepwear. We also notice waist suits which the French call a gilet-corset. A lot of our information comes from Galleries Lafayette, a major Paris department store, I think because they advertised so heavily.
We notice a rangecof items for babbies such as blankets, bibs, and booties. There were also a range of oyrfits for toddlers. These includes romper and short pants suits, dresses, coats and other garments. Tey would be for children from infancy to about 3 years of age. All of the major department stores had a range of baby-toddler clothing. Many of these items will seem rather formal to the modern reader, but in fact were much more comfortable and less restricting, if a little fancy, than the garments commonly worn before World War I.
As far as we can tell, French boys did not commonly wear smocks, except for school smocks. Many French school boys in the 1930s still wore smocks. Boys mostly wore dark back-buttoning smocks, although more stylish colors and patterns had begun to appear, as well as more varried styles.
Galeries Lafayette offered quite a range of school smocks in 1937. The illustrations show girl models, but many of the different smocks are labeled for grls and boys. At the bottom left, we can see the usual "tablier noir" worn by boys and girls in black and buttoned at rear. At right, another one, also buttoned at rear and worn by boys and girls, is blue and white. What is interesting in this advertizing is that we can see those smocks as they were worn by bigger girls such as number 24 where it is specified that it is a "tablier d'écolier" (boys' smock) even if the model is a girl. It seems that a "blouse" is always buttoned at front and worn by boys also as it is written at number 25.
We note a range of coats being offered in French catalogs. There were several different styles made in various materials. We note coats desribed as both pardessus and manteau. We are not sure what the difference was. Double-breasted styles were popular. We also notice the gaberdine rain coats that British school boys wore.
Sailor suits were still popular in France during 1937. We see school age boys wearing them, but no longer teenagers except perhaps the very youngest. They seem to be largely a dress up style.
We note an advertisement from Galeries Lafayette offering a knitted sailor outfit for younger boys. It has a sailor blouse done in a fancy style as well a very short cut shorts. This is a good example of the more juvenile styles for French boys that became popular in the mid-1930s.
French boys commonly wore short pants throughout the 1930s. Often boys wore shoerts all year round. Some boys in northern or mountaneous areas might have long pants for winter wear. Older boys might wear knickers or long pants, but short pants were very common.
We note Galeries Lafayette shorts set. This would have been a an outfit worn for dress occasions when suits were not required. This is an example of the more casual styles thath became popular after World war I. Boys would wear these short sets on occassions that suits would have been worn earlier.
Petit Bateau underwear was very popular for children in France. Some styles seem similar to sleepwear styles. Combinations (union suits) were also worn.
We note an advertisement for underwear from the Petit Bateau children's wear company. The reader providing this ad was not positive about the date, but thought it was 1937. We do not fully understand this ad from the French Petit Bateau company, but it appears to be for underwear. The caps are presumably to show that they are French children and the strap shoes to underscore that they are younger children. So presumably it is the underwear that is being advertised.
We also notice underwaists which the French call a "gilet-corset". They are similar to the underwaists worn by American children. A major diference here was that American children commonly wore these garments to hold up long stockings. French boys did not, however, commonly wear long stockings. Thus these waists in France were primarily worn by youngr children to hold up pants. Notice the term, "porte-culotte" which I think means to support shorts." The waists here were made in sizes up to 8 years of age.
We do not know a great deal about French sleepwear. As best we can tell, children and adults mostly wore night shirts before World War I. Pajamas appeared after World War I. I think first in England, but I am not sure. We are not sure just when pajamas first appeared in France. We do note pajamas being advertized by the 1930s, but night shirts seem to have been more common.
Galleries Lafayette offered a range of pajamas and nightshirts in several different styles. Some of the styles such as combinations (union suits) look rather like underwear. We are unsure if these garments were worn as both underwear and sleepwear.
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