** English school uniform : garments -- suits







English School Uniform Garments: Suits and Blazers


Figure 1.--The mums here wouldn't have been too happy if they had seen this. Avaiable images suggest that at least some boys behaved no differently than if they were dressed in overalls. Here two boys in suits are wrestling on the ground. While it is difficult to tell, these boys probably attended a state primary school in the 1950s.

English boys commonly wore suits to school. Suit styles varied over time. Social class was another factor, affecting what type of school the boys attended and what they wore to school. English boys commonly wore suits to school in the 19th century. This included both school uniforms and regular suits worn at schools. Not all schools had uniforms although this became more common in the late-19th century. Blazers are commonly associated with British school wear. The blazer, however, is more common in the 20th than 19th century. In the late-19th century it was primarly associated with games and worn at private schools. Many boys, however, wore suits and suit jackes rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and bllazers. This seems especially common in state schools before and just after World War II. At this time, primary schools did not commonly require uniforms. Private schools commonly insisted on blazers, but quite a number had suits rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and blazers. Blazers were worn for every day and suits for special occassions. The suits worn were commonly grey suits, but not all of them were grey. We have seen some suits in other colors as well as some suits done in patterns. Dressed in suits you might think that boys would be relativly constrained. Avaiable images suggest that at least some boys behaved no differently than if they were dressed in overalls.

Chronology

English boys commonly wore suits to school. Suit styles varied over time. English boys commonly wore suits to school in the 19th century. The suits followed the basic suit styles popular at the time. This included both school uniforms and regular suits worn at schools. We do not have much information on the early-19th century, but thanks to photography we a great deal about the mid-19th century and later periods. We see boys at mid-century wearing cut-away jsackets. Therse seem to be suits worn to school more than school uniforms. School uniforms at private schools became increasingly common in the late-19th century. We see mostly singl;e-breasted suits. The boys wore knee pants, knickers, and long pants. Suits became more stsandardized in the 20th century. They were cimmon at both state ad prvsate schools. Short oants became vert common, especially after World War I, mostly won with knee socks. After World War II, school wear became more casual, especially at primary school. Long pants began to be mnore common in the 2960s. Privare schools continued to require blazers or sits. And state secondary contnued to require formal dress, commonly blsack blazers. Not very many state schools required suits.

Social Class

Social class was another factor, affecting what type of school the boys attended and what they wore to school. Here a factor was that boys unless they came from an affluent family did not have large wardrbes. Boys more commonly wore its, but their suits were their primay garments. Boys attending state scools wore suits not becase they were required, but because this is how they noirmsally dressed.

Suit Types

English boys have worn a variety of suits to school. This included both different kinds of jackets and trousers. We notice cut-away jackets without lapels worn by younger boys in the mid-19th century. Older boys also wore short jacket, bit without the cut-sawy styling and with laopels. Older boys wore single-breasted suits for school. We rarely see boys wearing double-breasted jackets for school. This included both boys at state schools and private schools, although we do not see state-funded chools untul the secind half of the 10th century. State chools fid not require uniforms. I think this was because single-breasted suits or blazers were worn at private scgools and the tradition caried over for state schools. We note Norfolk suits being worn at schools during the late-19th century. Even better known are the Eton suits which appeared in the early-19th century, but seem most common in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. In the 20th century, especially after World War I we see mostly standard singler-breasted suits. Long pants suits were usually wirn in the 19th century, although wse see many knickers suits in the late-19th century. We are less sure at state schools, but knee pants suyits seem common at primary schools. Some boys may have worn knicker suits. After the turn-of-the 20th century, knee pants gradually gave way to short pants suits. Short pants suits became common, although many chools had unifirms with blazers raher than suits. This becane a standard at the state secondary schools that were greatly expahded after World War II. A few private schools had blazers for everyday where abd suits for special occassions.

Blazers

Blazers are commonly associated with British school wear. The blazer, however, was more common in the 20th than 19th century. In the late-19th century it was primarly associated with games and worn at private schools. Many boys, however, wore suits and suit jackes rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and bllazers. The blazer was developed in England as smart summer wear for affluent Britons as was soon adopted by the country's elite Public Schools. The developing preparatory schools also adopted the blazer. They were viewed as somewhat informal wear. More formal atire would be an Eton suit and hard collar. Blazers were worn with soft collars and the school tie. Private schools commonly insisted on blazers, but quite a number had suits rather than blazers. Some schools had both suits and blazers. Blazers were worn for every day and suits for special occassions. School blazers added great variety to the sometimes dowdy school uniform. State secondary schools like the private schools had highly varied and colorful blazers through the 1950s. Most have, however, for reasons of economy shifted to a plain blaack blazer with the school crest. Private schools, both primary and secondary, continue to have uniforms with coloful blazers--although less varied than in the 1950s and 60s. The school crest is worn on the left chest pocket. Often it is the initials of the school, but some schools have logos or elaborate crests. Assesing English schools can be quite complicated because of the many different types of schools. Most schools, except for primary schools, adopted blazers as part of the school uniform. There were even some primary schools, especially Anglican primary schools that had blazers. There were, however, many variations among schools and over time concerning blazers.

School Types

We notice English boys commonly wearing suits to school. Not all schools had uniforms although this became more common in the late-19th century--at least at private schools. Suits were especially common in state schools before and just after World War II. At this time, primary schools did not commonly require uniforms. At state primaries this was more of a dress code than a uniform. Boys until after World War II tended to dress formally, even boys in primary schools. This tended to vary as not all boys wore suits, even before World War II. The suits varied in style with the fashions of the day. Some boys wore blazers rather than suits with matching jacket and trousers. Colors varied, although we do not have a good fix on this because of the black abd white photography oif the day. Short pants suits were common until the post-World War II period. This including both primary and secondary school. Most secondary schools had uniforms. We are not sure about the 19th century, but in the 20th century after World War I, these seem to be primarily blazers rather than suits. The situation in private schools is somewhat different as private schools usually required unifirms. Again we are not entirely sure about the 19th century. We mostly see blazers in the preparartory schools, although some had suits rather than blazers. A few had both with the blazers being worn for everyday and the suits for special occassions. The suits almost always were grey suits and were usually worn without the school crest. A few schools wore the crest in the suits, but not very many. The situarion at public (private secondary) schools was similar although boys tended to wear long pants, at least after the first few years.

Colors

We have noticed English boys wearing different colored suits to school. Boys at state primaries until after World War II did not wear uniforms. They wore various colored suits. Grey was common, but not the only color. The suits worn at private schools were mostly grey. We are not sure about the 19th century, but in the 20th century they were commonly grey suits. Not all of them were grey, but grey was by far the dominant color. We have seen some suits in other colors as well as some suits done in patterns, mostly during the 19th century. The uniform suits, however were almost always grey. We note very few exceptions. This does not mean, howevedr, that all the grey suits were identical. There is a wide range of grey shades from charcoal to light grey. And some greys have colors mixed in such as blue or green greys. We note short trouswers being done in a wide range of grey shades, including charcoal. The grey suits, however, were mostly done in a narrow range of greys. We do not notice chasrcoal grey suits, although that does not mean they did not exist. Ther greys we have seen or mosdtly light grey shades. There also seem to have been suits dome in blue-grey shades. A reader tells uis, "Back in the 1960s when I was at university, the Canterbury Cathedral Choir School wore bluish grey short trouser suits with the Catheral crest on the jackets. It was a stand alone school then."

Behavior

Dressed in suits you might think that boys would be relativly constrained. Avaiable images suggest that at least some boys behaved no differently than if they were dressed in overalls.









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Created: 10:01 PM 8/2/2004
Last updated: 11:59 AM 10/24/2017