E-Z Waist Union Suits (October 1919)


Figure 1.-- Ads for E-Z Waist Union suits appeared at least twice in the Ladies' Home Journal for 1919--in October, 1919, p. 210, and in November, 1919, p. 211. This is the October ad. Perhaps reflecting the focus of the magazine, the ads depicted domestic scenes.

Ads for E-Z Waist Union suits appeared at least twice in the Ladies' Home Journal for 1919--in October, 1919, p. 210, and in November, 1919, p. 211. Perhaps reflecting the focus of the magazine, the ads depicted domestic scenes. These were of course the months when children were shifting from summer to winter underwear, so of course these waist union suits are shown with long sleeves and long (ankle length) legs; but E-Z also made summer versions with short sleeves ang legs. All the styles were equipped with reinforcing straps over the shoulders and waist buttons to support trousers or skirts, and they also had additional reinforcement straps for the attachment of hose supporters which were fastened by buttons or safety-pins at waist level under the armpits. E-Z Mills was located in Bennington, Vermont, with distribution headquarters in New York City.

E-Z Mills

We note the company here is reffered to as E-Z Waist Company. One source indicates that the company was located in Carterville, Geoggia. This may have been where their mill was located. The company appears to have been incorporated in New York. The product line over time included juvenile anbd boys' sportswear, including pullover seweaters and bllouses, T-shirts, briefs, trunks, and outer and under shorts. We are not sure when EZ Mills was founded. An advertisement for E-Z Waist Suits in Parents' Magazine [October, 1930, p. 72.] Note that the girl's suit is sleeveless while the boy's suit has short sleeves. I believe, however, that both styles are for either boys or girls. These suits appear to have no reinforcement straps and are therefore, strictly speaking, untaped union suits rather than waist union suits. We notice EZ Mills ads into the 1950s.

Ladies Home Journal

Ads for E-Z Waist Union suits appeared at least twice in the Ladies' Home Journal for 1919--in October, 1919, p. 210, and in November, 1919, p. 211. This is the October ad (figure 1). Perhaps reflecting the focus of the magazine, the ads depicted domestic scenes. As the oldest still publishing, most respected women's service magazine in the country, The Ladies' Home Journal has always focused on issues of crucial importance to millions of women. Since its first issue in December 1883. This long history make The Ladies Home Journal and invaluable source of information on American fashion trends. Its covered an incredibly wide range of topics beyond just fashion, from the latest medical research and consumer news to parenting know-how, workplace survival, good skincare, nutrition facts and much, much more. It was The Ladies Home Journal who sucessfully merged the elements and produced the right formula, becoming the top ladies magazine in America. The Ladies' Home Journal both empowered women and applauded their growing power. We also notice patterns offered in the magazine.

Waist Union Suits

In the early 1920s the waist union suit was developed and remained popular until the mid 1940s. This garment (for both boys and girls up until about the age of 13) combined the basic one-piece union suit, the standard form of children's underwear, with the underwaist (with reinforcement straps, waist buttons, and garter tabs) so that a single garment could do duty for two. Wearing one layer rather than two made getting dressed easier, and mothers saved money by not having to buy both a union suit and an underwaist or garter waist. These suits were sometimes referred to as "combination suits." Waist union suits came in both summer and winter styles. The summer style was usually made of nainsook and was like a junior version of adult BVDs. It had short legs and was usually sleeveless so as to be cool. Usually the girl's summer style was a bit different from the boy's summer style, the latter having front buttons from the neck to the crotch. The winter style was knitted like ordinary union suits and could be had with short sleeves and knee-length legs or with long sleeves and ankle-length legs. All these garments, whether winter or summer, or whether for boys or girls, were equipped with waist buttons for outer clothing and tabs for hose supporters. Waist union suits normally had all the features of an underwaist plus the usual features of a summer or winter union suit. These went out of style in the mid-1940s when long stockings ceased to be widely worn and when garter tabs on underwear were no longer necessary.

Domestic Scene

Here we see another E-Z ad using a domestic scene as an illustration for teir waist union suit. We are not sure about just how accurately the illustrators depicted these scenes. This one is a bedtime scene rather than the breakfast scene used in another E-Z ad. The children are apparently getting undressed for bed while Father plays with his youngest son by lifting him up in the air and Mother and the older boy and girl look on with pleasure. All the children still wear their underwear, stockings, and white hose supporters.
.

Ad Copy

The ad copy here is different than in the November ad. It reads, "Tall as Father. Children love to make believe, to play that things are what they really aren't. But where comfort is concerned they want the real thing--and ought to have it in everything they wear. 3-in-1 Shirt--Drawers--Waist. The E-Z Waist Union Suit. Trade Mark Registered. For Boys and Girls--Ages 2 to 13. The convenience, the sheer delight of wearing E-Z Waist Union Suits is a fact known to countless little folks. Long-wearing everywhere, binding nowhere, staunch but full of "give" is this famed wonderwear, with its perfection of attachments for hose [supporters] and outer garments. Mothers well know the durability of E-Z fabrics, the permanency of the indestructible real bone buttons sewn upon tubular knitted straps which give lengthwise, thus removing all strain from buttons, and resulting in a pliability which secures the button and assures great ease and comfort. Your favorite store should show E-Z Waist Union Suits in Summer and Winter weights. If not, write The E-Z Waist Company, 61 Worth Street, New York. To Dealers: Most wholesale distributors of Children's Underwear carry E-Z Waist Union Suits. If yours does not, write to us."

Other E-Z Ads

We note anumber of other E-Z ads. We notice an ad for E-Z waist union suits in 1915. The 1915 ad shows the placement of the reinforcement straps in front but does not clearly show where and how the supporters attach. For a later version of E-Z Children's underwear, see the E-Z ad for 1937, in which one of the models is a waist union suit--now considerably simplified as regards the reinforcement straps.








HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing catalog/magazine pages:
[Return to the 1919 suspension ads]
[Return to the Main American 1919 catalog page]
[Return to the Main American mail order 1910s page]
[Main photo/publishing page] [Store catalogs] [Fashion magazines]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Flat caps] [Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits] [Sailor suits] [Eton suits]
[Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Knee pants] [Knickers] [Long stockings] [Support garments] [Underwear]





Created: 8:36 PM 7/24/2005
Last updated: 8:36 PM 7/24/2005