Figure 1.--This Italian class was photographed in 1968-69. They wear the blue smoicks, white white collars, and bows they were once worn by most Italian primary school children. Notice that while the collars are similar, but many of the bows are different.

Both Italian boys and girls wore large white collars and bows. We are unsure to what extent there were government regulations on collars and bows. A common style for boys was a dark blue smock with white collar and bow. The collars were of varying width, some quite wide. Itlaian boys also commonly wore bows. The bows varies widely. Some were large floppy bows other were very small bows with simple ribbons falling straight down. We are less sure about the color. Availanle images are mostly black and white photographs. We believe some of the bows were red. White collars are still common, but today the bows are rarely worn with them. Various style collars are worn and they vary in size. The convention of wearing a large white collar with a school smock continues, but is no longer as common as kt once was. Pointed collars are usually worn by boys and Peter Pan rounded collars by girls. HBC is not sure just what the collars were. Some appeared to be sewed on or otherwise attached to the smock while others are simply normal shirt collars worn folded over the smock. Some appaer to be simialr to the collar on a girls' dress in that that they do not extend all the way around at the back. The white collars were once all white. Some children now wear embroidered designs on their collars.

Regulations

Both Italian boys and girls wore large white collars and bows. We are unsure to what extent there were government regulations on collars and bows. A common style for boys was a dark blue smock with white collar and bow. This style appears to have been so common that we asume that here was some time government regulations requiring school smocks, but HBC has no information on such regultions at this time. We assume that there was also regulatons about collars and bows, again because this style was so common. Hopefully our Itlian readers will provide us information about any Italian regulations that once required the wearing of school smocks.

Collars

The collars were of varying width. Some are quite wide others closer to normal shirt collars. Various style collars are worn and they vary in size. HBC is not sure just what the collars were. Some appeared to be sewed on or otherwise attached to the smock. In such cases they have to be separated at the back with back buttoning smocks. As most images are front views, there are relatively few images illustrating this. Other Italian smocks are simply normal shirt collars worn folded over the smock. Some appaer to be simialr to the collar on a girls' dress in that that they do not extend all the way around at the back.

Bows

Italian boys also commonly wore bows with their school smocks. The bows varies widely. Some were large floppy bows other were very small bows with simple ribbons falling straight down. We are less sure about the color. Availanle images are mostly black and white photographs. We believe some of the bows were red. We are unsure how these bows varied chronologically. We are not sure if originally therewere were regulations gvernjung the bow, either the size, color, or knot style of the bows. We note that at some schools the collars were very uniform, there were substantial differences with the bows. While the color of the bows seem uniform, the sizes and styles of the bows are very different. Apparently it was left up to the mothers as to just how to tie the bows.

Chronology

HBC has no information on when Italian boys began wearing school smocks. Nor do we know if wide white collars and floppy bows were worn with the first school smocks or just when they were introduced. We do know that wide white collars and bows were widely worn by the 1930s and were probanly worn earlier. Wide collars and bows were still very common in the 1950s, but began the style began to be less common in the 1960s as did the wearing of school smocks. The convention of wearing a large white collar with a school smock continues, but is no longer as common as it once was. We have noted these collars and bows as late as the 1980s, but only at some schools. By the 2000s the bows are much less commonly worn with the wide collars.

Age

We are not yet sure about age conventions with collar and bow styles. The wide white collars and bows do not appear to be associate with age. Rather they were worn by all the children wearing school smocks, not just the younger children. As far as we can tell all the children in some primary schools wore these blue smocks with wide white collars and red bows with no detinction of age. These seems to be primarily styles adopted by schools rather than chosen by parents. Thus age does not seem to have been a factor. We do note some group shots with children wearing various clothes, but we believe this may show children from various schools.

Gender

The desctinctive white collars often worn with Italian school smocks had some destinctive gender twists. Many early images show the childern wearing wide rounded Peter Pan collars. The colors of the smocks may have been different, but both boys and girls appear to have worn these Peter Pan collars. Early images of Itlaian school children show both the boys and girl wrearing the same rounded Peter Pan collars. We are not sure about the 19th century, but this seems to have been the case in the 20th century. There seems to have been considerable uniformity in the collars the boys wore with smocks. Very basic wide white collars, and mostly Peter Pan styles. With the girls there was more variety and the gurls and mothers introduced more diversity and style in the collars. We see the girls for exanple wearing such alternatives as lace collars along with the standard basic white collars. We see cut-out lace and wider collars. Both of which we do not see the boys wearing. There appear to be no gender differences as late as the 1940s. Gradually in the late-20th century we see this changing. We note smaller white collars and more boys wearing pointed rther than rounded white collars. HBC is not sure when this convention began. We even see smocks without the white collars so common in the 20th century. Girls in contrast continue to wear the rounded Peter Pan collrs with their smocks. There seem to be some age differences here. Pointed collars are in the 2000s usually worn by boys and Peter Pan rounded collars by girls. This is hardly universal. Even today some boys still wear the rounded Peter Pan collars with school smocks, but mostly younger boys.

School Types

Virtually all Italian primary school children once wore their wide white collars and floppy bows. This included both stte nd private chools. By the 1980s, however, this had become less common in state schools. We believe that this traditional style has been continued at Catholic schools more ommonly thn state schools.

Regional Trends

HBC at this time has no informaion on regional trends. We do not know if the wide white collars and floppy bows were more common in specific parts of Italy. We think they may have continued to be more commonly worn in rural areas than in Rome and other big cities.

Embroidery

The white collars were once all white. Some children in the 1990s and 2000s wear embroidered designs on their collars. We have not noted this style earlier. It appears to be most common with smocks for girls and younger boys.

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Created: May 22, 2001
Last updated: 6:17 PM 9/22/2016