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We see Belgian boys wearing suits with all different kinds of pantsor trousers. This has varied over time as he popularity of the different pnts types varied as well as the poularity of suits in general. Belgian boys have worn suits with knee pants, knickers, short pants, and long pants. we do not have much information on the 19th century as our Belgian archive is still very limited for that period. We know much more about the 20th century. We assume that long pants were generally worn in the early 19th century, but in the later part of the century knee pants became more common. We know much more about the 20th century. Every country has its little peculiarities in th developing photographic record. The Germans like the Americans and British took huge numbers of family snapshots which added to the more formal studio photography. There seem to be fewer Belgian family snapshots avialble. Of course Belgium is a small country, but still there seem to be an unusually large numebr of formal studio portaits. At least that is what we have found to date. As a resut, we know a great deal about how boys dressed up and the suits they wore, at least for the 20th century. Short pants suits seem very common after World War I for boys through their early teens. For formality, boys still might wear knee pants suits. We also see boys wearing knicker suits, commonly teenagers in the inter-War era. Age conventions were a factor which also varied over time. Some older boys wore knicker suits. On the previous page we see a boy wearing a single breasted jacket and short pants in 1925. Here we see a boy wearing a double-breasted short pants suit, we think in the 1930s, but we are not sure (figure 1). Notice the popular Shiller collar and high top shoes. We notice two unidentified boys wearing single- and double-breasted jackets with short pants in 1933. Knee socks see very common with short pants suits, generally conservative solid color socks, but we ome argyles and other patterns as well. For especially formal occasions long stockings were also worn. After World War II, especially by the 1960s we see more boys wearing long-pants suits, including some younger boys. Short pants suits seem to have remained more popular in Belgium than some other European countries, reflecting a conservative outlook of some parents. Boys were wearing mostly long pants suits by the 1970s, but by this iome suits were becoming less common as styles became increasingly casual.
Belgian boys have worn suits with knee pants, knickers, short pants, and long pants. we do not have much information on the 19th century as our Belgian archive is still very limited for that period. But We assume that long pants were generally worn in the early- and mid-19th century, but at mid-century knee pants appeared. They were at first mostly worn by boys from fashionanle city families. And they were generally cut at long lengths, usually well below the knee, often at calf length. Abd they begin to be decorated with hree buttons at the kleg hem. This was an artifact from 18th century knee breeches. This was aconvebntionthat was unifirmily adopted throughout Europe and North America. The buttons had a utility with knee breeches, but were purely deciorative with knee pants. In the later part of the century knee pants not only became more common for boys, but we gradually see somewaht older boys wearing them. And in the 1890s they become actuall knee-length pants. Our limited 19th century Belgian archive makes it difficult to follow these trends in detail at this time. After the turn-of-the 20th century, knee pants garafually evolve into short pants. At first short pants were cut long like knee pants, but did not have the three-button trim like knee pants. Gradualy short pants became shorter and knee pants disappeared from the fashion scene. We note some mothers choosing knee pants or at least shirt pantrs with the knee-hem decorative buttions for fornmal occassions. Knee pants were nmostkly worn with long stockings swhile short pants were worn with both long stockings and knee socks.
We believe that most Belgian boys wore long pants suits during the early- and mid-19th centuty Belf=fian archive is fairly limited, we can not yet be sure of this, but it was the general, pattern in neighboring countries which influence Belgain fashion trends. Knee pants suits became increasingly common after yje mid-19th century, at forst for younger boys. Oldr boys cobtinued wearing long pants suits. Kenee pants suits became standard in the 1890s and short pants suits in the 1920s. Long pants suits continued to be worn by older boys. Yjr age at which boys switched from short pamts to long pants varied from family to family. Some boys wore knicker suits as a kind of intertim stp. Boys were wearing mostly long pants suits by the 1970s, but by this iome suits were becoming less common as styles became increasingly casual.
While knee pants were widely worn in the late-19th and early-20th century. short opants were a 29th century style. We know much more about the 20th century and are gradually building a sizeable archive. Every country has its little peculiarities in the developing photographic record. The Germans like the Americans and British took huge numbers of family snapshots which added to the more formal studio photography. There seem to be fewer Belgian snapshots avialble. Of course Belgium is a small country, but still there seem to be an uually large numbr of formal studio portaits. At least that is what we have found to date. As a resut, we know a great deal about how boys dressed up and the suits they wore, at least for the 20th century. Short pants suits seem very common after World War I for boys through their early teens. At first they were long linke knee pants. For formality, boys still might wear knee pants suits. We also see boys wearing knicker suits, commonly teenagers in the inter-War era. Age conventions were a factor which also varied over time. Some older boys wore knicker suits. On the previous page we see a boy wearing a single breasted jacket and short pants in 1925. Here we see a boy wearing a double-breasted short pants suit, we think in the 1930s, but we are not sure (figure 1). Notice the popular Shiller collar and high top shoes. We notice two unidentified boys wearing single- and double-breasted jackets with short pants in 1933. Knee socks see very common with short pants suits, generally conservative solid color socks, but we note some argyles and other patterns as well. For especiallay formal occasions or famiklies which insisted on formality, long stockings were also worn. After World War II, especially by the 1960s we see more boys wearing long-pants suits, including some younger boys. Short pants suits seem to have remained more popular in Belgium than some other European countries, reflecting a conservative outlook of some parents.
Belgium became notable for knickers, in part because of the Tin-Tin books. The mnain charcter wore long knickers, prsumably to differentiate him from a younger boy. We do not yet have information on the 19th century, or even early-20th century. We notice mostly teenagers wearing knickers in the inter-War era. Knickers were somewhat more common during the cild winter water. We continue to note knicker suits in Belgium into the 1950s.
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