English School Sandals: Ages


Figure 1.--Since the 1990s it is mostly the younger boys in preparatory schools that still wear sandals. This school seems to have a relatively strict uniform code as most of the boys appear to have the same style of sandal. Click on the image to see the entire class.

Boys of quite a wide range of ages wore school sandals through the 1950s. This was the era before tennis shoes were widely popular. It was not uncommon to see even younger teenagers playing in sandals, although they were worn to school mostly be elementary age children.

Older boys in the 1960s stopped wearing sandals. Many began to see them as little boy shoes, or worst yet girls' shoes--just about the worst applelage in the eyes of many boys. Not only did they not want to go tyo school in them, some did not even want to be seen playing in them. The dividing line was often about 11 years as this was the age boys began secondary school.

By the 1980s they were primarily worn by younger elementary-age boys. A few traditional preparatory schools continued to require that all the boys through age 13 years wear them for ordinary school wear. They were often not popular with these older boys. In some cases, the larger boys could not find closed toe school sandals in their size and had to buy men's sanbdals. Many of the schools requiring sandals also required the boys to wear short pants, but a few schools wears the boys wore longs, at least the older boys, also required sandals. By the 1990s even at prep schools, only the younger boys generally were required to wear sandals.







Christopher Wagner

histclo@lycosmail.com



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Created: November 21, 1998
Last updated: November 21, 1999