Figure 1.-- This was the 1978-79 school portrait for Mrs. Gronski's 4th grade class at the Woodmere, New York School No. 6. Woodmere is in Nassau County on Long Island close to New York City. New York City had a tradition of nuumbering rather than naming schools. A 4th grade class in the winter would be mostly 9-year old, but some would turn 10 years by spring. The most notable aspect of the portrait is that all of the girls in the front row are wearing pants, including jeans. Many of these outfits could have been worn by boys as well as girls. This probably over states the importance of pants. And pants were not only seasonal, but also regional.

We see major changes in American schools clothing during the 1970s, changes which became notable in the late-60s. Clothing trends followed ideas on gender equality. The 1970s was the decade that the Equal Rights Amemndment was an issue. Boys and girls clothing often looked similar, that is girls began wearing boyish outfits, not visa versa. This was the first decaded that many girls came to school in pants, often jeans. Corduroy were fashionable and we see a lot of polyester. Casual styles were standard. Fw boys wore suits, although we do see some vests outfits when the children dressed up. We see a lot of vivid colors and shapes--especially for younger children and girls. Shirts, dresses, and pants might have loud designs in polka dots and stripes. Psychedelic flowers and astrological signs were popular decorative touches. The 1970s wasperhaps the decaded with the greates variety of fads, perhaps a defining era in fashion. Fads as usually the case were pronounced in children's clothing. Shirts with bright colors and lrge pointed collrs were popular. We see quite a variety of pants, usually a fairly staid item. Bell bottom pants were popular, almost an iconic 1970s style. They were often called flares and the leg flares were the greatest of any decade. Bogh boys and girls wore them. Denim jeans were no longer resticted to primary school, but became a virtual uniform at secondary school, again for both boys and girls. Levi's and Wrangler prduced non-shrink denim. Denim jeans was perfect for the popular earthy hippie styles. We see more boys wearing short pants, mostly as casual summer wear. They were less common at school. While many girls wore pants, skirts and dresses did not disappear. Another important 1970s style was the mini-skirt, often worn with knee socks, but we also see long skirts. The defining characteristic of the 70s seems to have been variety and choice. Peasant blouses and smocks were also popular with girlhs and might be worn with or without jeans. Skirts were done in loud colors and flared. They were done as A-line garments, fitting at the waist and gradually widening. Skirts might be done in pastel and floral monochromes like turquoise, yellow, and red. Patterns included polka dots and stripes. Shapes like rainbows, moons, and flowers were all populr. Colors and patterns varied from yar to year. Polyester jumpsuits were popular, but a little too drrsy for school. They were mostly for older boys outside school--standard disco wear. Some were done for younger children. Leather shoes were noticably declining as sneakers, clogs, and sandals were becoming standard. Catholic schools had basic uniforms.

Woodmere School No. 6 (1978-79)

This was the 1978-79 school portrait for Mrs. Gronski's 4th grade class at the Woodmere, New York School No. 6 (figure 1). Woodmere is in Nassau County on Long Island close to New York City. New York City had a tradition of nuumbering rather than naming schools. A 4th grade class in the winter would be mostly 9-year old, but some would turn 10 years by spring. The most notable aspect of the portrait is that all of the girls in the front row are wearing pants, including jeans. Many of these outfits could have been worn by boys as well as girls. This probably over states the importance of pants. And pants were not only seasonal, but also regional. We see more girls weating pants in the northern than southrn sttes. We suspect the portrait was taken on a cold winter day. We also see a lot of sweaters. All of the seaters we see are gender neutral. Only one boy and girl wear short-sleeved shirts. Two boys have shirts with contrasting collar/yoke and body. .We see a lot of vibrant colors and stripes were common. Notice that shirts with sports logos were not yet common. A lot of boys wear collar-less shirts. We see both V-fronts and crew-collars. Those with collars have long pointed collars. A lot of the children are wearing jeans, but w also see some corduroy. One girl seems to have a bib-front long denim skirt. None of the boys have short hair. Most have hair over their ears, but only a few have really long hair. Quite a few girls have long hair.

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Created: 10:07 AM 5/29/2015
Last updated: 10:07 AM 5/29/2015