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American boys mostly wore "T"-shirts and briefs in the 1950s. Some boys in far north and Canada wore long underwear during the winter, but the dominany
underwear was "TY"-shirts asnd briefs.
The changing trends in underwear fashions can be observed at several different companies.
The 1952 E-Z ad shows a father with his two sons wearing similarly styled underwear. Here, however, the man and boys wear white tee-shirts rather than sleeveless undershirts. The boys wear thigh-length knitted briefs while the father wears ankle-length knitted underwear, but boys could wear either the short-legged or the long-legged style. Both styles were available for either adults or boys E-Z Two-Piece Underwear for Men and Boys (tee-shirts, ankle-length and thigh-length knitted bottoms) {Image not yet loaded on HBC] Text: "Fit Comfort into the act too! . . . Shop where you see the E-Z oval!" This advertisement also shows at the bottom left three other boy's and mens' underwear garments: sleeveless knit undershirts (singlets), jockey-style briefs, and boxer shorts.
This clever Carter's ad shows a boy in white briefs and t-shirt practicing archery. A boy in Robin Hood costume in the background explains the allusion. "T"-shirts an briefs were the principal underwear worn by American boys in the 1950s. Carter's was an important manufacr=turer of undewear, especially children's underwear. The ad also shows boy's pajamas with optional short or long pants. I'm not sure in which what magazine this ad appeared, but it was a 1951 magazine ad.
Again the father-son formula. The boys wear briefs with short legs whereas the father wears a long-leg model of knitted underwear. Both father and son wear t-shirts.
Two styles of boys’ underwear. Both boys wear white cotton briefs, but the boy on the left wears a sleeveless knit undershirt whereas the boy on the left wears a t-shirt. The color is standard white. The ad was placed by the company marketing the garments--Newbury. I'm not sure what kind of store that was.
Here we see the famous “Jockey” brand name. Most boys’ cotton briefs were referred to as “Jockey” style underwear, even if the manufacturer was not Cooper’s. The boy in the ad is about 8 years old.
The father and son are both wearing the same style of underwear—white cotton t-shirts and colored boxer shorts with elasticized waists. By the end of the 1950s boxer shorts were beginning to compete to some degree with knitted cotton briefs. Boxers became more and more dominant in the later decades and were favored by “preppy” boys, but they have never entirely replaced cotton briefs, which is still the dominant style of boys’ underwear.
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