Figure 1.--Catholic school boys in Belgium and France wore school uniforms, often with blue short pants, but other Fench boys did not commonly wear uniforms.
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Figure 1.--Catholic school boys in Belgium and France wore school uniforms, often with blue short pants, but other Fench boys did not commonly wear uniforms. |
School shorts were first widely worn in England, but soon spread to the British Empire countries which like England also commonly required children to wear school uniforms. Booys in France, Germany, Italy, and other Europan countfies also commonly wore short pants to school. Most schools in these countries did not require uniforms. English boys commonly wore shorts to school even to schools where there was no required uniforms. Until after World WarII (1939-45), it was only the private schools in England and the grammer schools (secondary schools) that required uniforms. Many primary schools began adopting uniforms in the 1960s and this often included short pants. About this time the older boys began expressing a desire to wear long pants. Uniforms are still commonly required in England, although only the younger boys wear shorts. French boys commonly wore shorts to school, although not as part of a uniform. Like English boys they began wearing longs to school after the 1960s. New Zealand boys still commonly wear shorts while Australian schools have extremely varied school regulations. Many American elementary schools have begin setting a voluntary uniform policy and many boys and girls wear shorts in the warmer Summer months.
Australian schools followed British school fashions closely through the 1960s. Since then schools have adopted more casual styles, but still showing the British influence. Many schools now have the boys wear longs during the winter and shorts in the summer.
Belgian, like French, school boys comminly wore smocks since the 1870s, mostly with kneepants. After World War I boys continued to wear smocks, but increasingly with short pants. Uniforms were not common in Belgium, but many Catholic schools did introduce them. The most common were blue shorts and white kneesocks.
English boys after World War I began to commonly wear shortpants and kneesocks as part of their school uniform. Knickers were still worn in the 1920s, but became less common by the 1930s. The shorts were mostly grey and worn with kneesocks, often with colored tops. Shorts were commonly worn through the 1950s by elementary-age school boys and even by some secondary-level boys. Initially most shorts were grey flannel. After World War II (1939-45) several schools adopted corduroy shorts, but most schools by the 1950s were replacing grey flannel with grey Rayon or eventually Terylene worsted. The long baggy style gradually gave way to more trim-fitted, shorter shorts with Continental styling. Many older boys began to insist on long pants in the 1960s. By the 1980s, even the traditionally minded prep schools, with a few exceptions, had shifted to long trousers--except for the younger boys. Many prep and primary schools, however, now wear shorts during the warmer summer term. The long baggy style is becoming increasingly common.
French school boys comminly wore smocks since the 1870s, mostly with kneepants. After World War I boys continued to wear smocks, but increasingly with short pants. Uniforms were not common in France, but many Catholic schools did introduce them. The most common were blue shorts and white kneesocks. Many schools had blue cord shorts which were also widely used for Scouting in France.
German boys commonly wore kneepants to school at the turn of the 20th century, but by the 1920s short pants were more common. These were there regular clothes as few German boys attended schools which required uniforms. Many boys would wear short pants all year round, switching to long stockings in the colder months. Other boys would wear knickers during the winter. Some German boys wore lederhosen to school.
Italian boys also commonly wore short pants to school. Most boys wore shorts under there school smocks. Beginning in the 1960s some boys began wearing long pants with smocks, but shorts were more common until the 1980s.
Japanese Japanese elementary-age boys were wearing long, knee-length short pants in the 1930s. I'm not sure to what extent they were required by
the schools. After the Second World War, many schools adopted school uniforms, although I am not sure precisely when this ocuured. By the 1960s, however, Japanese schools boys were wearing trim fitting short pants, showing a European style. The most common shorts were blue and were often
worn with white kneesocks. Long baggier shorts have become popular in Japan, but many schools continue to insist on the trim fitting style.
New Zealand schools generally followed English styles and intermediate and secondary schools generally have uniforms with short pants. Some schools adopted the Scottish blue shorts. Many schools have have distinctive summer and winter shorts. While secondary schools in England generally dropped short pants requirements in the 1960s or early 70s, New Zealand schools did not. New Zealand school boys through the 1980s generally wore short pants uniforms to school, with kneesocks in the winter and sandals in the summer. Many schools in the 1990s have begun allowing boys to wear long pants, especially during the winter.
The short pants worn at Scottish schools were much the same as those worn at English schools. Several Public (exclusive private) schools adopted blue serge or flannel shorts, but most schools had grey flannel as in England. After World War II the flannel shorts were gradually replaced by Terylene worsted. Many Scottish schools were more traditionla than the English schools and short pants were worn by older boys for several years after English secondary schoolboys were mostly wearing longs.
American school boys commonly wore knickers to school after World War I, but only the youngest boys wore shorts. Public schools did not require uniforms, but parochial schools did. By the 1950s almost all boys wore long pants to school. Some private schools had uniforms requiring short pants. The crisis in public education has caused many elementary schools to introduce uniforms during the 1990s. Most schools allow the boys to wear shorts during the summer as part of the uniform.
Some personal experiences associated with school shorts:
England: New school shorts
Related Links: Careful this will exit you from the Boys' Historical Clothing web site, but both sites are highly recommended
Apertures Press New Zealand book: New E-book on New Zealand schools available
School Uniform Web Site: Informative review of British school uniforms with some excellent photographs
Boys' Preparatory Schools: Photographic essay available on British preparatory school during the 1980s
Traditional school uniform: How to purchase a traditional British school uniform
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