French Mail Order Catalogs with Boys Clothing: 1971


Figure 1.--These short pants were offered in the La Redoute catalog in 1971. These boys model dressy shorts in a short cut. Note that the boys are wearing ankle socks rather than kneesocks even though they are wearing long-sleeved shirts. Also notice the neckwear.

French mail order catalogs and clothing advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. We note classic coats for younger children called manteau baby. The catalogs from Les 3 Suisses and La Redoute for 1971 offered blazers and long and short pants. The blazers were available in single and double breasted styles. The pants were available in a varierty of styles, colors, sizes, and material.

Rompers


Smocks


Coats

We note classic coats for younger children called manteau baby.

Jackets


Sweaters


Suits and Blazers

The catalogs from Les 3 Suisses and La Redoute for 1971 offered blazers and long and short pants. The blazers were available in single and double breasted styles. Some blazers came with a stylish badge on the breast pocket. Some had side patch pockets. Blazers were shown with both long and short pants that could be worn with then.

Les 3 Suisses Blazers, Shirts, and Pants

Les 3 Suisses in their 1971 catalog had a page offering blazers, shirts, and pants. As they are all on the same page the inference is that the shorts and pants shown are to be worn with the blazer. The blazers were available in single and double breasted styles and a variety of colors. Brown and green blazers are depicted. The boys are all shown wearing neckties, including plaids, stripes, and solid colors. Shirts are offered in both long sleeves and short sleeves in white and pastel colors with stright collars. The pants are available in different length shorts and long pants with flares. The boys wear different length socks and regular leather and suede shoes.

Neckwear

Many French boys did not wear neckties in the 1970s, but some did. Here one boy is shown wearing a traditional necktie done in tartan plaid. One style that seems characteristically French is the kind of narrow bow the boy on the left wears (figure 1). The French term for it was " un noeud papillon ", literally "a butterfly tie". We have noted French boys wearing it beginning in the 1950s, but rarely afters the 70s. The Les 3 Suises page offereing blazers shows the boys all wearing neckties, including plaids, stripes, and solid colors.

Shirts

We notice a awide variety of dressy and casual shirts. The dressy shirts were available in both long and short sleeve, but long sleeve were more common. They were normally solid colors. White was the most common, but there were also various colored pastels (figure 1). Almost all the collars were straight, button-downs do not seem to have been commonly worn. Casual shirts include both "T"-shirts and polo-shirts with necks.

Pants

The catalogs from Les 3 Suisses and La Redoute for 1971 offered blazers and long and short pants. The pants were available in a varierty of styles, colors, sizes, and material. In particular there was a wide variety of short pants. The short pants were available in both play and dressy styles and in a variety of lengths from just above the knee to quite short cuts. Some of the longer shorts done in the Bermuda style were ptrsented as casual shorts while the shorter-cut shorts were available in both play and dressy styles. Note the dressy styles seen here from La Redoute (figure 1). Many of the long pants were done with flares.

La Redoute casual Bermuda shorts

La Redoute offered two styles of casual Bermuda-style shorts in slightly different lengths, styles, and colors/patterns. Pne styled had belt loops and the other did not require a belt. These casual shorts were longer than some of the dressy styles of shorts offered. They are shown being worn with polo-shirts, anjle socks, and sneakers.

La Redoute casual play shorts

La Redoute offered four other styles of casual shorts. These are cut much shorter than the Bermuda shorts described above. The come in different dstyles, colors, and material. Here the catalog just shows the shorts without the accompanying clothes to go with them.

La Redoute dressy and casual shorts

La Redoute offered four other styles of shorts. At least two of these seem rather dressy and the other two if not dressy seem somewhat more formal than the play shorts described above. All four are in different styles and materials. The materials are a better grade than those used for the casual shorts.

La Redoute dressy shorts

La Redoute offered two other styles of dressy shorts, the ones seen here (figure 1). The boys shown here model dressy shorts in a short cut. Note that the boys are wearing ankle socks rather than kneesocks even though they are wearing long-sleeved shirts. Also notice the neckwear.

Sailor Suits


Hosiery

The catalogs mostly showed ankel socks even with long-sleeved shirts (figure 1). Kneesocks were, however, still available.

Footwear

The catalogs show boys wearing a range of footwear. Boys wearing dressy shorts are commonly shown wearing black and brown leather shoes. We note on boy in flare long pants wearing dessert boots (I'm not sure what they were called in France). Boys wearing casual shorts are more commonly shown wearing sneakers. We also note what looks like a suede loafer.







HBC






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Created: September 25, 2003
Last updated: September 26, 2003