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American mail order catalogs offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. American mail order catalogs in 1947 featured a variety of destinctive 1940s styles. Many 1930s items had disappeared. We see brightly colored striped T-shirts, both short and -long sleeves. There were short pants for younger boys. Jeans were vecoming increasingly important. Knickers were gone. Mostly boys were offered long pants. Long pants were becoming increasingly common even for younger boys. Younger boys still wore short pants, especially in the summer. Boys mostly wore ankle socks, often done with stripes. Some boys might wear knee socks when dressing up, butnot the patterened style worn in the 30s. Waists or stocking suporters for long stockings, but no longer widely worn.
We notice stripped T-shirts were very popular for playwear. They were done in many didderent colors and wide or narrow stripes. And some boys wore them to school. There were both short- and long-sleeved versions. Retailers refered to them as basque shirts, a name that disappears in the 1950s. Here are striped 'T' shirts offered by Haines in a Life Magazine ad. The ad copy reads, "You will be delighted with the fine workmanship in thesecBasque Shirts. Securekly stitched for long, satosfactory wear. Exciting stripes--brightwith the colors that the boys reach for. Six color variatios thtsun or tub won't fade. Values you'll appreciate ... only $1 for ages 2 to 6, $1.25 for ages 8 to 14."
Kneesocks were declining in popularity. Boys increasingly wore ankle socks, both with short and long pants. Some boys still wore long stockings, but this was becoming increasingly less common.
The last time stocking supporters were worn to any extent was the 1940s, although
they did not disappear until the early 1950s. They were still prominently advertised in the
1940s. They were available in quite a wide range of different types. Sears referred to them as "garter waists". Many were clearly targeted for younger children. The ad shows the
proud children, beaming "See mommie, now we can put on our own garter waists. Several different styles were available from Sears.
This is an advertisement for "Trueworth" garter waists, a brand that we have not encountered before. This ad was published in the Independent Record of Helena, Montana, on September 30, 1947, just in time to equip boys and girls for the switch to fall and winter clothing. Long stockings by 1947 were no longer commonly worn in the United States, but we do notice them still bein markted in the nortern-most states. They were also still being sold in Canada.
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