Figure 1.--With these younger boys suits or combination outfits, the blouse and shorts could match or they were made to contrast like this wool outfit for a 6-year old boy from "Nos enfants" (Edition Bleuet Paris) in 1938. Theblouse has very small puffed sleeves--a popular style thrtough the early 1950s. Knit suits like this were worn by French boys into the 1960s.

Knitted suits or combination outfirs were made in many styles and color combinations. Knitted blouse/pants combinations for younger boys are often called suits, even though there is not suit javket involved. These combination outfits were made with matching or contrasting blouse and pants. These suits were normally made with button-on styling, although suspender and bib-front styles werecalso available. These were more likely to be play suits. Belted styles were less common. They were very popular for younger boys up to about age 6. This sort of suit or combination outfit were very popular. Often they were knitted by granmothers who had more time and enjoyed making beautiful clothes for the little ones. Younger school boys might wear these suits with a smock for school. A French reader tells us, "The style shown on the previous page was still in style untill the later 1960s. If the weather was a bit cold; the garçonnet would add a wool vest or a pullover with his smock. This model were worn by boy till 6 years and also by older boys of 7-8 during summer hollydays specialy in mountains, sea-side, or for playing in a park." These suits declined in popularity during the 1960s, but were still commionly worn by pre-school boys. Nursery school boys would often wear such suits with their smocks and when he came home he might take his smock off and just wear the suit. This garment was rather inexpensive, an important consideration in the difficult years during and immediatly following World War II. A French reader tells us that, "Jobs were easy to find. There was plenty work. Unemployment in France was unkown till 1974." Clothes, however, were expensive and hard to find in the last years of the war and immefdiately following it. The granmothers could used wool salvaged from other garments. This soon changed, however, as the economy of France and other European countries rapidly recovered and the post-War economic boom began. By 1948 a large choice of fabric and clohing was again aailable to French consumers.

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Created: March 16, 2002
Last updated: March 16, 2002