Figure 1.-- Au Bon Marché, a large Paris Department store, offered shorts sets in 1940. They were for boys from 2-7 years of age. Notice the button-on styling and the slight balloon affect on some of the sleeves.
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Figure 1.-- Au Bon Marché, a large Paris Department store, offered shorts sets in 1940. They were for boys from 2-7 years of age. Notice the button-on styling and the slight balloon affect on some of the sleeves. |
French mail order catalogs and clothing advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. The Germans entered Paris is June 1940 and the French Government surrendered. A French reader reports that the Germans had no impact on fashions, although clothing and material for clothing became increasingly scarse as the War progressed. Fashionable clothing was still available in the stores during 1940. We note a range of styles. Younger boys wore rompers and smocks as well as button-on clothing. Most younger boys wore short pants. Older boys might wear long pants, but both shirt and long pants styles were available and widely worn.
Rompers were a popular outfit for younger boys and continued to be so in the 1940s.
Au Bon Marché offered a variety of rompers and smocks for boys. There was both a classic back-buttonin romer suit and suspender rompers with a coordinate dress for a girl. There were also garments for girls, but these seem more like little dresses than smocks.
We notice several different styles of smocks. Some seem quite stylish.
Au Bon Marché offered a variety of rompers and smocks for boys. There was both a classic back-buttonin romer suit and suspender rompers with a coordinate dress for a girl. Some of the smocks, but not the rompers were done in plaid. The smocks seem more stylish than the ones we commonly see boys wearing in availavle photographs. There were also garments for girls, but these seem more like little dresses than smocks.
There are several names for coats in French. The principal one is "manteau". One used by "Modes et travaux" is "pardessus".
Capes were reportedly worn by both both boys and girls. We believe that they were primarily a school uniform garment. We are not sure how popular they were. They seem to have been worn primarily at private Catholic schools that had uniforms, but our information is very limited. Some were styled specifically for boys or girls. Some could be worn by both. I'm not sure if there were different gender appropriate styles. The capes we have seen had separate but matching hoods. We note Au Bon Marché offered a hooded cape with a selection of school capes.
Shorts sets were a popular style for younger boys. We also note shorts sets in America at the same time, but the styling was quite different.
Au Bon Marché, a large Paris Department store, offered shorts sets in 1940. Shorts sets were a opular choice for boys at the time.They were for boys from 2-7 years of age. The store was one of the most popular in Paris. Three of the sets have button-on styling. Two have a slight balloon affect on some of the sleeves.
We note a wide range of suits offered in 1940. Specialty suits like sailor suits were still popular. We notice quite a range of different styles. We also see many styles of standard or sack suits, including short and long pants styles. Knickers were less common. There were also single and double breasted jackets well as various fancy styles.
We note several styles of sailor suits done in sizes for boys 3-12 years of age. The colors were blue, light grey, and white. They were done with both traditionally as well as more elaborately styled suits. They were available in optional short or long pants styles. Some of the illustrations showed caps, but these were purchased separately. They were all done in the button-on style. They look to be dressy rather than play suits.
Au Bon Marché offered a wide range of suits for boys 6-18 years of age. There were bith short and long pants suits as well as single and double breasted jackets. Most of the the styles appear to be the same standard styles wirn by boys at the time. We also notice one suit with a short jacket. We are not sure how popular this style was. We have not noted actual photographs of boys wearing this style.
We also see blouse outfits. Some look to be fancy outfits that would have been worn by boys like suits to church or for special occassions.
Magazines ciommonly showed boys wearing white socks, both ankle and knee-length socks. Many of the illustrations of younger boys showed ankle socks.
We have some limited information on the inderwear worn by French boys in 1940.
Here we have an ad for boys' underwear from a Au Bon Marché ad.
A French reader tells us, "The models at the right was mostly worn by city boys from 1936 till the end of the 1960s. After around 1950 it was practicly the only model worn and was cut more in V to be more practical for boy in short pants. At this time the short pants for younger boys (under 10 years of age) often did not have a fly.
The model at the left was mostly worn by rural boys and was considered old fashioned by city boys."
A French reader tells us, "The model at the right was called Petit bateau and was very popular for boys. This model was called "culotte baby " the French term baby means rather a juvenile style than an actual baby. This garment during the 1930s and early 40s was for boy from 6 mounths till 14 years old. Gradually this style became worn more by younger boys. By the middle 1950s it was only for todlers up to about 3 years of age. It disappead by the end of the 1950s. It could be butonned at the undershirt, but this was optional. The model at the left was for a girl. About 90 percent of city girls wore this model.
Magazimes showed boys wearing both strap shoes and lace-up shoes. Also depicted are Wellington boots for both boys and girls.
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