Lederhosen: Seasonality


Figure 1.-- This German boy on a cool day wears blue tights with his lederhosen and middy blouse.

Lederhosen are commonly seen as summer or warm weather pants as short pants are today mostly seen as warm weather clothes. This has not always been the case with lederhosen. German and Austrian boys in the first half of the 20th century commonly wore lederhosen and other short pants years round and not just during the summer. Boys wearing lederhosen during the summer might not wear a shirt or only a light short-sleeved shirt. "T-shirts" were very common after World War II. During cooler months the boy might wear a sweater or jacket. During the cooler months might also wear his lederhosen with kneesocks or long stockings. Long stockings were quite commpn with younger boys up through World War II (1939-45). After World War II some boys also wore them with tights which began to be popular in the late 1950s. Thus lederhosen have been worn over long stockings or tights when the climate is too cold for shorts alone. A mother is thus able to continue to dress her boy in the practical lederhosen while making sure that he was kept warm.






Christopher Wagner






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Created: December 27, 1998
Spell checked: July 31, 2001
Last updated: July 31, 2001