School Uniform:  France--Youth Summaries


Figure 1.-- 

Children are interested in what school was like for their parents and grand parents. Often books anf internet sites will ptovide summaries of school life and clothing in early periods. Often these summaries are brief, but they provide an interesting summary of school and schoolwear and what the adults growing up in earlier period feel is important to mention to modern children.

La mode junior à travers le siècle: Les tabliers des grands-parents

Au temps de tes grand-parents, dans les années 1920-1930, les écoles pour filles et celles pour garçons étaient séparées. Les enfants allaient à l'école vêtus d'un tablier qui recouvrait leurs habits. C'était un sorte d'uniforme. Mais le dimanche, dans les familles qui en avaient les moyens, on portait ses plus beaux habits. Cette habitude des "habits du dimanche" a duré au moins jusqu'aux années 1950. Les enfants n'appréciaient pas trop ces vêtements trop beaux qu'il ne fallait surtout pas salir… et qui ne s'usaient pas assez vite!

Le tablier d'écolier était souvent de couleur sombre et se fermait dans le dos par des boutons ou une ceinture. Les culottes courtes : C'était parfois des "knikers", pantalons larges serrés au-dessous du genou, un peu comme celui que porte Tintin. Mais ces pantalons "longs" étaient réservés aux grands. Les petits devaient se contenter des "culottes courtes". Pour avoir chauds aux mollets, les enfants portaient des chaussettes montantes et des souliers "Gavroche". Le port des chaussettes date seulement de la Première guerre mondiale. Le béret : C'était le chapeau de l'écolier français. Les chaussures Baby's: elles étaient très à la mode dans les années 1920-30.

Children's fashion through the century: Smocks of the grandparents

In the the time of your grandparents, in the years 1920-1930, the schools for girls and those for boys were separate. The children went to the school wearing smocks that covered their clothes. It was a kind of uniform. But Sunday children from affluent families wore their better clothes. This practice of the "Sunday best clothes" lasted at least until the 1950s. The children did not really appreciate having to wear their best clothing which they weren't allowed to get dirty and a a result never wore out.

The schoolboy smocks were often dark colors and were closed in the back by buttons or a belt. Boys also wore short trousers. They also wore "knikers", baggy trousers secured below the knee, rather like the pants Tintin wears. "Long" trousers were reserved for older boys. Younger boys had to be satisfied with "short trousers". To keep their legs warm, the children wore high rising kneesocks socks and shoes "Gavroche". Wearing kneesocks dates only from the World War I. The beret was the cap of the French schoolboy. The "Baby" shoes were fashionable in the years 1920-30. [HBC note: HBC is unsure what is meant by "baby" shoes. Even French speaking HBC readers are a bit mistified. One reader reports: "I have no idea whatv "gavroche" and "baby" shoes were. Possibly it could be name of a factory rather than a style? The boy's name "Gavroche," of course, comes from the little boy hero of Victor Hugo famous Les misérables." HBC had thought that "Gavroche" might mean clothes by poor people. French speskers, however. tell me that Gavroche in French means boys (whatever their social rank) from Paris tat are brave and generous.







Christopher Wagner





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Created: February 28, 2001
Last updated: March 5, 2001