Figure 1.--This French boy is wearing the light blue classic romper he commonly wore as a boy. This portrait was taken about 1949 during a trip to Nice. Notice the smocking on the front.

One of the major sytlistic element of French rompers is the pronounced bloomer of puffing effect of the bottom or pants part of the rompers. This style appears to have developed sometime after 1935/36. Before this time, the traditional puffed romper that became so popular in France didn't realy exist. French rompers in the 1920s and early 30s were more were more staight (less puffed or bloomered). They were mostly worn for play or at home or on holiday excursions and not for dressing up boys for formal occassions. A French contributor phrases it as dressing boys up for "beautifull circumstances". For this reason rompers are not normally pictured in all the postcards of beautifully dressed children that were so popular in France. After 1938, some postcards appear of boys in the puffed or bloomered rompers. By this time, however, the fashion of sending such cards had declined in popularity and thus not so many exist. Many romper tops were styled rather like smock tops, commonly with smocking and embroidery. Most one piece suits were back buttoning, biut some had front buttons with the looks of a fancy blouse. While there was many stylistic variations, there was only one basic model concerning the cut of the romper pants (bottoms). They were always cut very short with elastic leg openings and buttuning crotch closures. Boys put their romper on by steping into them and they were then buttoned at the back. The classic one-piece French romper suit also extend waist bands that tied in a bow at the back. The separate romper pants worn with dressy bows, however, did not have these back tieing bows.

Bodice

Many romper tops were styled rather like smock tops, commonly with smocking and embroidery. Most one piece suits were back buttoning, biut some had front buttons with the looks of a fancy blouse. Notice the emroidery on the bodice of the boy's romper suit here (figure 1).

Pants

One of the major sytlistic element of French rompers is the pronounced bloomer of puffing effect of the bottom or pants part of the rompers. This style appears to have developed sometime after 1935/36. Before this time, the traditional puffed romper that became so popular in France didn't realy exist. French rompers in the 1920s and early 30s were more were more staight (less puffed or bloomered). While there was many stylistic variations, there was only one basic model concerning the cut of the romper pants (bottoms). They were always cut very short with elastic leg openings and buttuning crotch closures.

Back

Boys put their romper on by steping into them and they were then buttoned at the back. The classic one-piece French romper suit also extend waist bands that tied in a bow at the back. The separate romper pants worn with dressy bows, however, did not have these back tieing bows. Most photographs of boys in rimpers are taken from the front. Very often one doesn't see the back of the romper suit. The traditional French romper has a back bow and very often it was large.

Conventions

Rompers were mostly worn for play or at home or on holiday excursions and not for dressing up boys for formal occassions. A French contributor phrases it as dressing boys up for "beautifull circumstances". For this reason rompers are not normally pictured in all the postcards of beautifully dressed children that were so popular in France. After 1938, some postcards appear of boys in the puffed or bloomered rompers. By this time, however, the fashion of sending such cards had declined in popularity and thus not so many exist.

Fashion Magazines

These descriptions were found in the fashion magazines. It is why the French boys from the North, South or the Colonies wore the same style.