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We do not know a great deal about French sleep wear. 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. One of the styles, "chemise-calecon" looks like underwear. We are unsure if these garments were worn as both underwear One reader thinks they are shirts to be worn during the day.
The Louvre of department stores carries over 75,000 brand names, and welcomes (in the loosest sense) the equivalent of the entire population of Paris each month. Concessions run from Yohji Yamamoto to Gap. The menswear department has recently been given a make over and is now one of the largest in Europe. Also look for enormous departments dedicated to lingerie (an entire floor), beauty products, kitchenwares, books, records, home furnishings and even souvenirs. The two sixth floor restaurants offer panoramic views; Café Sushi is in adjoining Lafayette Maison. For many years Galerie Lafayette published a mail order catalog targetting te general public, including both urban and rural consumers. France in the 1930s still had a very subsantial rural population. There was no televison and the national media did not reach the rural population as it does today and rural people often did not get into cities very commonly. Thus rural children and adults did not dress as fashionably as urban families. Many rural families in France used the Galeries Lafayette catalog much like rural Americans used the Sears and Wards catalogs.
We do not know a great deal about French sleep wear. 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. They were for boys up to 8/10 years of age. Some of the styles such as the "combinaison" was clearly labeled for sleepwear. "Pour la nuit" means for the night. This looks like a one-piece pair of pajamas. The store calls them "combinaison". One garment is labeled "chemise-calecon". It was a union suit, but the French term means underwear shirt. We are unsure if these garments were worn as both underwear and sleepwear. Most of the garments are labeled "chemises fe jour"--day shirt.
Some of the styles such as the "combinaison" was clearly labeled for sleepwear. "Pour la nuit" means for the night. This looks like a one-piece pair of pajamas. The store calls them "combinaison". This should not be cofused with the English "combination" or union suit. A French reader tell us, "This is a 'combinaison' or one piece pyjama for a boy. It was meant for chilly day. Boys in both urban and rural areas might wear these pajamas, but in 1937 they were more common in the city. They became more popular during the cold World War II winters. Even girls might wear them."
The ad copy referes to this as "forme marin", meaning sailor style. We have no idea why.
A French reader tells us, "'Chemise' means shirt, but ' chemise de jour ' means undershirt. This is not sleepwear, but an indershirt."
The ad copy referes to this as "forme marin", meaning sailor style. We have no idea why.
One garment is labeled "chemise-calecon". It was a union suit, but the French term means underwear shirt. A reader writes, "Notice that the "chemise calecon" for the boy is a one-piece sleeveless suit that looks very much like a summer union suit. It seems to have no waist buttons or garter tabs, so it is probably a substitute for pajamas, but the similarity of construction is very noticeable. I wonder if there is a drop-seat in the rear. Maybe for sleeping this wasn't thought necessary, but I wonder. Since children now commonly sleep in their underwear (as do many male adults), at least in the United States, there is some correlation between underwear and sleeping garments." A French reader tells us, "The 'chemise caleçon' was a short one-piece undergarment.".
This grment has a square cut out collar. This looks more like a sailor style than the two chemises de jour described as "forme marin".
The underwear depicted here, the chemise de jour and chemise-calecon, were by 1937 older fashions which were out of style for city boys. Most city boys by the mid-1930s had begun wearing more modern Petit Bateau underwear. It was more practical and hygienic. They were also ecarlate white."
A Fremch readerdesribes the more modern Petit Bateau underwear. "About Petit Bateau underwear, the top is called ' Maillot de corps ' sometime also ' Gilet de corps '. The bottom part is more complicated. Till 1950 , children and mothers called " petite culotte " this boy garment and simply ' culotte ' the girl one. In urban areas after the mid-30s one called this boy garment a " slip " and " culotte " for the girl's garments. In store , catalogue often called them ' Couche-culotte ' in 1930-50s. Today one says ' slip ' for the boys or man and ' culotte ' for woman or little children."
French stores had a habit of very precise pricing, depending on the size of the garment. This is useful here because the store provides the age equivalent for the various sizes. This can help understand the ages for garments where only the size is indicated.
A reader writes, "I think I disagree with your interpretation of the ad. I think the word chemise (Chemise de jour) means undershirt worn by a child and not sleep wear. There are other pages with pajamas etc. Notice that the combination (the item on the far left) is specifically stated for nuit
(night). The other items are for day use. Notice that three are referred to as "chemise de jour". I suspect that means they are undershirts worn by young children. Also note that children range to age 14 here. There is some information in the Jean and Claude section. Claude wore a chemise de jour while another French boy wore "Petit Bateau" (pants)." Our reader may well be correct. Hopefully our French readers will provide more information here.
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