Figure 1.--Lederhosen were popular for younger boys in the 1970s and 80s--we are not sure about the 1960s. Older boys mostly wanted to wear jeans. Noted the popular gingham shirts.

Paris student strike of 1968. By the 1970s shorts had become increasingly rare anong older teenagers, but younger boys still commonly wore them--although more on a seasonable basis. Little boys still wearing shorts during the winter might be dressed in long over the knee stockings or in beginning in the 1950s, tights. Some boys would wear them for warmth under long pants. Most German boys like other boys in Western Europe wanted jeans. The change was a slower in Communist Eastern Germany (DDR). But East Germany received West German (BRD) television and fashion easily breeched the Iron Curtain. By the time that the Berlin Wall fell, German boys were dressing in the indestinguishable pan-European styles. The West German boys were a bit more stylish as their parents had more money, but the same styles were commonly worn on both sides of the Wall. Lederhosen became popular for younger boys. Open toed sandals were widely worn. Perhaps the modst notable trend during the Cold War era in Germany was that boys less and less worn destinctively German styles and instead adoopted the kind of pan-European styles worn throughout Europe. The 1980s were a major turning points in German children's fashions. German boys like other Europeans were increasingly adopting American-influenced pan-European styles. We can no longer easily identify German boys by the clothes that they were wearing. Distinctly German styles were becoming less common. We still see Tracht (folk) items, but they were a small part of overall offerings. Suits were becoming increasingly less common. Jeans were increasing being worn. Denim was enormously popular. Bib-front shorts and denim jeans were very popular. The denim items items in the the Spring 1980 Quelle catalog included bib-shorts for younger boys and denim long pants jeans for older boys. Long pants were becoming standard for older boys and less common even for younger boys.

The 1960s

Trends begun in the post-War 1950s became much more proniunced in the 1960s. One major factor in West Germany was the development of a strong commercial culture. The poist-War econnomic miracle was in full swing. Many Germans, including woirking-class Germans, experienced a level of affluencece never begfore known. This of course had a major impact on clothing and fashion because parents could afford a level of discretionary spending nver before possible. Some German boys still dressed up in short pants and kneesocks in the 1960s. German boys' clothes began to change in the 1960s. One factor was rising income levels. Another was the development of rebellious teen culture. The trend developed later in Germany than in America and other western European countries, but by the 1960s it had arrived. Older boys increasinglybpreferred casualmstyles and wanted to wear jeans. The change was particularly rapid after the Paris student strike of 1968.

Figure 2.--These German boys in the 1970s wear the short jean short pants that were popular for summer wear, Note the open-toe sandals they are wearing. alt="German short pants""

The 1970s

By the 1970s shorts had become increasingly rare anong older teenagers, but younger boys still commonly wore them--although more on a seasonable basis. Shorts were increasing;y being worn for casual wear. Casual shorts for play were made in various material. Denim became very popular. Boys wore quite short shorts in the 1970s. Little boys still wearing shorts during the winter might be dressed in long over the knee stockings or in beginning in the 1950s, tights. Some boys would wear them for warmth under long pants. Most German boys like other boys in Western Europe wanted jeans. The change was a slower in Communist Eastern Germany (DDR). But East Germany received West German (BRD) television and fashion easily breeched the Iron Curtain. By the time that the Berlin Wall fell, German boys were dressing in the indestinguishable pan-European styles. The West German boys were a bit more stylish as their parents had more money, but the same styles were commonly worn on both sides of the Wall. Lederhosen became popular for younger boys. Sneakers became increasingly popular, but open-toed sandals were widely worn. German boys commonly wore their sandals with socks--often dark or paterned ankle socks.

>Figure 3.-.

The 1980s

The 1980s were a major turning points in German children's fashions. German boys like other Europeans were increasingly adopting American-influenced pan-European styles. We can no longer easily identify German boys by the clothes that they were wearing. Distinctly German styles were becoming less common. We still see Tracht (folk) items, but they were a small part of overall offerings. Suits were becoming increasingly less common. Jeans were increasing being worn. Denim was enormously popular. Bib-front shorts and denim jeans were very popular. The denim items items in the the Spring 1980 Quelle catalog included bib-shorts for younger boys and denim long pants jeans for older boys. Long pants were becoming standard for older boys and less common even for younger boys. We mostly see shorts as casual summer wear, especially the end of the decade. We continued seeing the shorts that are worn are the short cut shorts we see in the 1970s. Shorts in Germany were increasingly seen as casual wear by older boys. Some younger boys might wear dress shorts, but no longer older boys. Few boys wore shorts during the winter, even the younger boys. Knee socks for boys declined in popularity. In the mid-1980s Athletic-styled shorts in a variety of colors became very popular. By the very late 1980s longer shorts began to appear, but would not become common until the 1990s. Most older boys wore long pants. The tights boys had worn during the winter in the 1960s and 70s declined in popularity during the 1980s. The Paris student strike (1968) not only impacted French fashions. It had a huge impact on fashion trends, especially for teens. It fed into the increasingly casual styles of dressing. The impact on girls was even stronger than on boys with more and more girls wearing jeans. .

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Created: March 5, 2001
Last updated: 11:01 PM 8/22/2025