Figure 1.-- Galey & Lord was a manufacturer that advertised in magazines like The New Yorker that had a high income readership. The company headquarters was in New York. Their boys' line had a trademark of Oxford Boyswear. Men had begun to wear shorts in the 1950s, I think that this was another World War II impact. Plaid was a popular pattern for men's walk shorts. Here Galey & Lord offered men's styled walk shorts for boys. Note the hair cuts. They look something like the popular brush cuts from this era.

Jeans became very popular durung the 1950s. Denim jeans were the standard. Jeans were worn by most elementary school boys, although many high schools did not permit them. They were worn cowboy style with big cuffs, so that had to be bought long. This allowed boys to grow into them. High school boys mostly wore slacks to school. Chinos became popular. There were also corduroy pants. Most boys wore long pants. Some boys wore short pants when dressung up, but this had become less popular. Boys might wear shorts during the summer, but except for younger boys, most wore long pants even during the sunmmer.

Wards' Slacks and Jeans

Wards offered a range of cotton twill skacks and jeans. Thus page included husky jeans, army twills, California-style twills for Western customers, tappered leg twills, and junior boxer twills. Boxer-style pants means that the waist is elasticized and not worn with a belt. Most of the slacks were available in black, gray or charcoal, navy, and tan or sand. Tappered leg twills were available in pink. [HBC was somewhat suprised about this and never noted American boys waearin pink pants in 1955.]

Wards Longies and Jeans

Wards offered a variety of slacks for boys on this page. They are all long pants. The ones for younger boys are called "longies" rather than slacks. For the older boys there are wash and wear gabardine prep slacks, gabardine-dacron blends, and rayon-flannel blend fabrics in various shades of brown, gray, and navy. Longies for the younger boys include corduroy checks, patterened rayon-flannel blend, and a decron-gabardine in blue, charcoal and gray, and brown.

Wards' Jeans

Wards offered four types of sanforized boys' denims on this page. All were worn with wide cuffs. One had flannel lining. There were suspender jeans for younger boys. Western-style shorts were offered with the jeans.

Wards Suspender Jeans

Wards' offered a variety of suspender jeans for the younger boys. There were two styles of bobys suspender jeans as well as a paor of boxer jeans. They had, single, double, and fused kness. They were available in sizes 1 or 2 through 6.

Wards' Girls' Jeans

By the 1950s girls were also demanding jeans, although many did not think it proper for girls to wear them--even little girls. The little girls' pants on pages 36 and 38 all have side zippers. I guess that the idea of girls wearing pants was still new enough that people thought that they needed to make feminizing changes.

Wards' Corduroys

While girls' had special jeans, younger boys and girls could wear the same style of corduroys. They were washable and available in boxer, bibfront, and coverall styles, depending on the child's age. Colors included blue, brown, rose, and turquoise.

Galey & Lord Walking Shorts

Galey & Lord was a manufacturer that advertised in magazines like The New Yorker that had a high income readership. The company headquarters was in New York. Their boys' line had a trademark of Oxford Boyswear. Men had begun to wear shorts in the 1950s, I think that this was another World War II impact. Plaid was a popular pattern for men's walk shorts. Here Galey & Lord offered men's styled walk shorts for boys. Although pictured as play shorts (figure 1), I think they were more likely to be worn as smart casual wear. The ad cooy reads, "Boy enough to tussle-but man enough to want plaids like dad's. In meticulously tailored walking shorts by Oxford Boyswear of two-ply Galey & Lord cotton."

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Created: 5:41 AM 11/6/2005
Last updated: 5:41 AM 11/6/2005