School Rompers


Figure 1.--This unidentified photograp shows what looks like a group of French primary children. That is probably their school in the background. The younger children in the friont are from an attched maternelle. Notice that most of the boys wear rompers. The girls wear dresses. The photograph is undated, but looks like the 1950s.

Rompers were not a common school garment, but we do notice some children wearing them, especially French children. They were primarily worn by pre-school children. This was not very common, but we do note boys wearing them in nursery school and kindegrten. Here we only see boys, not girls wearing them. We are less sure about other countries. We very rarely see boys in the first year of primary school wearing them, but only rarely. We also note boys wearing them in school theatricals as a kind of costume. As regards school wear we note considerable country differences. This was primarily in France, although we think they were also worn in Belgium. Rompers were mostly worn in France and thus we see boys most commonly wearing them in French schools. They were not worn by French girls. In some other countries they were adopted as a gym uniform. We note some Swiss boys wearing romper pants for gym and fresh air outings. One example is an unidentified school in 1929. This continued into the 1950s. Bloomers meaning the bottom part of rompers were very common gym outfits for girls, often worn with middy blouses. Romper suits for gym seem much more limited. This was particularly common for girls in America. To a much less extent, boys in some countries wore bloomers for gym, but we have not noticed boys wearing romper suits for gym.

Prevalence

Rompers were not a common school garment, eexceot for girls' gym outfits. We we do notice some children wearing them, especially French nursery school boys. we think this was also the case in Belgium.

Level

Rompers were primarily worn by pre-school children. This was not very common, but we do note boys wearing them in nursery school and kindegrten, primarily in France. Here we only see boys, not girls wearing them. We are less sure about other countries. We very rarely see boys in the first year of primary school wearing them, but only rarely. We also note boys wearing them in school theatricals as a kind of costume.

Country Trends

As regards school wear we note rompers being worn in several countries. They were very common for girls, but only as a gym uniform. They were not very common for boys, although they were worn by pre-school boys in some countries. There was considerable country differences. This was primarily in France, although we think they were also worn in Belgium. Belgian fashion trends were very close to French trends. We notice a Belgian boy in the Congo wearing rompers to school in 1947. We are less sure about other countries. We note some Swiss boys wearing romper pants for gym and fresh air outings. We note some Italian schools with romper uniforms. As best we can tell these are custodial boarding facilities such as orphanages. We see sun suit type rrompers in the pist World war II era. It seems to be a uniform for the boys rather than a gym suit. Another example is an unidentified Swiss school in 1929. It may have been a sanitorium. We also notice nusery school children in Israel wearing similar rompers im matching material and color about 1950.

Usage

Romper usage varied over time with age and gender factors involved. In many countries romper outfits were adopted as a gym uniform. This was almost entirely for girls, but we do notice a few boys wearing romper pants for gym, mostly in Scandinavia.

Gender

Romper gender trends varied from country to country. Rompers were mostly worn in France and thus we see boys most commonly wearing them in French schools. They were not worn by French girls.

Chronological Trends

We do not yet have information on rompers worn to school during the the 19th century. Amelia Bloomer invented bloomers in the mid-19th century. They wwre a curiosity and few women or girls wore them. At the time, relatively few girls attended secondary schools. When by the end of the century this was increasing, a gym uniform was needed for the girls. A popular poyfit became a middly blouse worn with very full bloomer pants. We are not sure when they were first introduced. We think it may have been the 1890s, but we know girls were wearing these gym suits by the 1900s. We do have information on the 20th century. Middy blouses and rompers were a very common gym outfit for girls in the early-20th century in many countries. The outfit was largely the same in many different countries. Rompers for younger children became popular after World war II in the the 1920s. We do not see children wearing them to school. This only changed as preschools became increasingly common. So far we mostly see them in French schools and only boys wore them. Both boys and girls wore rompers in America, but not to school. As pre-schools gradually became more common, we begin to see rompers in schools. The earliest we notice this is the 1930s in France. Rompers became very common for boys in French maternelles through the 1960s. Girls continued to wear romper outfits for gym. Bloomers meaning the bottom part of rompers were very common gym outfits for girls, often worn with middy blouses. Romper suits for gym seem much more limited. We begin to see girls wearing romper suits with or without sailor styling. To a much less extent, boys in some countries wore bloomers for gym. We have noted this in Sandanavia during the 1950s. We have not noticed boys wearing romper suits for gym. We note this in American schools during the 1950s, but we are not sure when they first appeared, but by the 1950s they had replaced middy blouses and bloomers. Girls also wore short pants for gym, but the romper suits were worn into the 70s.









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Created: 10:37 PM 2/16/2012
Last updated: 5:24 AM 7/14/2016