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We note German boys wearing the same basic shirt styles as worn by boys in other European countries. We do not know of any destinctive German shirt styles. The main variation is that some styles were more or less popular in Germany than other styles. We notice a variety of detachable collars, but the Eton was not nearly as popular as in England. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was uncomfortable or perceived as too English. Sailor middy blouses were especially popular for German boys. We notice sailor middy blouses with a wide variety of collar styles. Other countries also had middy blouses in non-traditional styles, but there appears to have been an especially large variety of collar styles. Boys in the eealy 20th century often wore wore stiff detachable collars when dressing up. After World War I (1914-18) motr casuals styles prevailed, including a style of wide open collars. Boys during the NAZI era (1933-45) wore the military styled shirt of the Hitler Youth. This military enfluence, however, does not seem to have acrried over in other shirt styles. during the Colorful shirts such as checks became popular for school after World War II (1939-45). We have not noticed German boys extensively wearing button-down shirts. "T" shirts also became very popular after World War II.
We have noted a wide varierty of shietrs and shirt-like garmenrs worn in Germany. Styles were very formal in the 19th century, especially the late-19th century. Large formal collars were common. Shirt styles and dress conventions in general were still quite formal in the early 20th century. Geraman boys often wore wore stiff detachable collars when dressing up. After World War I (1914-18) more casuals styles prevailed, including a style of wide open collars called a Sciller collar. (In America they were called a sports collar.) This was the first style of short commonly worn as an open collar. Boys during the NAZI era (1933-45) wore the military styled shirt of the Hitler Youth. This military enfluence, however, does not seem to have carried over in other shirt styles. Colorful shirts such as checks and plaids became popular for school after World War II (1939-45). We have not noticed German boys extensively wearing button-down shirts. "T" shirts also became very popular after World War II. As in the United States, we notice many boys buttoning their shirt collars for school.
There are several different basic types of shirt-like garments. These are shirt waists, shirts, and blouses. Shirt wausts did not have collars. There were basic destinctions in these garments. Blouses did not have tails. Shirts at girst had both collsars abd tails, but gradually the meaning changed. These destinctive types varied greatly in poplarity over time. Shirt waists and blouses were commonly worn in the 19th century. Shirts became the standard boy's garmednt in the 20th century. Here we might add a fourth type, casual shirts like T-shirts which did not have some of the basic shirt features Collars and tails), but by the time these casual shirts became popular, the meaning of shirt had evolved to basically any upper garment worn by boys. These different types were essentially the same as worn by boys in other European countries. While the types were essentially the same as worn throughout Europe, there were differences in the styling of these garments worn by German boys.
We note German boys wearing the same basic shirt styles as worn by boys in other European countries. We do not know of any destinctive German shirt styles. The main variation is that some styles were more or less popular in Germany than other styles. We notice a variety of detachable collars. These detachable collars were worn with what were called shirt waists--essentially shirts without collars. Shirt waists appeared in the mid-19th century and were widely worn through thde early 20th century. We notice both pointed and rounded collr styles of dofferent shapes and withs. Thwy were generally worn with neckwear of various desriptions. The Eton was not nearly as popular as in England. I'm not sure why. We notice sailor middy blouses with a wide variety of collar styles. Other countries also had middy blouses in non-traditional styles, but there appears to have been an especially large variety of collar styles. As there was np shirt tails, the middy blouse as the name implies was a blouse. We mention it here because it was such an importan style of shirt-like garment. >Many boys after World War I wore a style of wide, open collars. The style in fact appeared during the 1910s, but was mych morecwidely worn in the 1920s. It was not only worn for casual wear, but someboys wore it with their suit as well when dressing up.
The shirt collar is a very important feature of a shirt. There are many other types of shirts besides different collar types.
Shirts in Germany and the rest of Europe took on political significance. This trend begab with Italian unification with Garibaldi's partisans wore red shirts in the 1860s. The fascist picked up on the idea in the 1920s when Musolini's Fascists wore black shirts. The NAZI stormtroopers (SA) wore brown shirts. As the Hitler Youth began as an auxilery of the SA, the boys wore the same basic brown shier worn by the SA.
Schiller collars were not like Eton and other collar styles done as detschable collars. Schiller collsrs sere n informsl open collar style vas they were collars that were part of the shirt.
Colorful shirts such as checks became popular for school. We do mot see many before World War II (1939-45). After the War we see many boys wearing them. We are not sure why they suddenly became popular. For some reason red checked shirts were often worn with lederhosen.
We see German boys wearing a variety of collarless shirts. Most but not all had crew nedcks. Most were done as "T"-shirts, but swe also see sleeveless shirts. We are not yet sure about the chronology of these shirts, but they appear to be primarily a 20th century style. We think some boys may have worn them under middy blouses rarger this dickies, but this we have to confirm. We first see collarless shirts at beaches and school physical education. Gradually after World War I they begin to bedcome more common, but were at first not worn to school. The collarless shirt was a summer style. We do not see long sleece collsrless shirts as was the case in America. We are not sure about the colors and patterns. We do note quite a number od striped shirts, probably because of the association with sailor suits. The colarless shirt was primarily a boy's garment.
We have not noticed German boys extensively wearing button-down shirts. "T" shirts also became very popular after World War II.
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