German Short Pants Suits: Chronology

We first note short pants suits in the 1920s after World War I. We noticevboys wearing short pants in the 1910s ith garmnts like tunics, but not short pants suits. Suits were done with knee pants, but not with short pants. This changed after World War I in the 1920s. Actually early short pants and knee pants suits were quite similar in that short pants at the time were esentially the same length as knee pants, but without the ornamental buttons at the knee hem. We see both short pants and knee pants in the 20s. Short pants suits were very common for boys in the 1930s, and begun to be cutb at shorter lengths. We see some suits done with knee pantss, apparently for formality. Boys wore short pants suits into their early teens. The age of switching fom shorts to longs or knickers varies somewhat from family to family. Age 15 years was common wuth many families. The increasing importance of the Hitler Youth program has a range of effects. Short pants became standard and knee pants much less common. And there was less need for suits. (One effort of the HJ for example was to discourage family church attendance.) We note more boys wearing Ledehosen with suit jackets in the 40s, both Bavarian jackets and standard jackets. We still see short pants suits in th 40s and 50s, although dress had become more informal. Younger teens wre still wearing short pants suits in the 50s, at last the early-50s. Many boys still wore short pants suits in the 1950s, often with sports shirts or with an open collar. By the 1960s, boys were increasingly wearing long pants suits, although suits were being worn less than before as German boys increasingly turned to more casual fashions. We see school-age boys wearing short pants suitsin the 60s, but rarly teen-agers, even younger teens. We only see younger boys wearing short pants suits by the 70s and we see fewer boys wearing shorts during the winter months.

The 1910s

We notice boys wearing short pants in the 1910s ith garmnts like tunics, but not short pants suits. Suits were done with knee pants, but not with short pants. This changed after World War I in the 1920s. Actually early short pants and knee pants suits were quite similar in that short pants at the time were esentially the same length as knee pants, but without the ornamental buttons at the knee hem.

The 1920s

We first note short pants suits in the 1920s after World War I. We see both short pants and knee pants in the 20s.

The 1930s

Short pants suits were very common for boys in the 1930s, and begun to be cutb at shorter lengths. We see some suits done with knee pantss, apparently for formality. Boys wore short pants suits into their early teens. The age of switching fom shorts to longs or knickers varies somewhat from family to family. Age 15 years was common wuth many families. The increasing importance of the Hitler Youth program has a range of effects. Short pants became standard and knee pants much less common. And there was less need for suits. (One effort of the HJ for example was to discourage family church attendance.) Short oants suits were worn year round. Boys commonly wore long stockings during the winter months. Black long stockings might be worn for formaility.

The 1940s

We note more German boys wearing Ledehosen with suit jackets in the 40s, both Bavarian jackets and standard jackets. We still see large numbers of Grman boys wearing short pants suits in the 1940s, commonly with knee socks. The shorts were cut at shorter levels. Dress was becoming more informal, presumably an impact of the War. The first half of the decade was dominated by World War II. Unlike much of Europe, Germans did not at first feel the impact of the War. This was true in the area of children's clothes because of the way German authorities exploited the French economy. This changed in the final year of the War as German armioes were riven back into the Reich and the economy began to implode. Shortages developed for everything. After the War many fathers had been killed, wounded or in POW camps. And even if families were together, few jobs were available as so many German factories had been destroyed. Families had a hard time obtaining food, lt alone clothes. This children clothes were not a high priority. Many children went barefoot. In such crcumstances, many teena gers continued to wear short pants suits as money was not available for new suits. This continued although the West Germans and Western Allies launched th German Economic Miracle (1948).


Figure 1.-- We continue seeing German boys wearing short pamts suits after World War II in the 1950s. Many boys wore them, but we also see boys wearing long pants suits, especially during the Winter.

The 1950s

German boys continued to common wear short pants suits during the 1950s, although we see more long pants suits, esoecially during the winter. The economy had begun to recover, although money as still tight in the early-50s. Family budgets were still srained, but as the decade progessed, we see more boys wearing fahionable clothes and fewer children still going barefoot. We see boys wearing a variety of hosiery with short pants suits. For the first time we note ankle socks being commonly worn with short pants suits. We also knee socks and long stckings, although long stockings generally went out of style by the late-50s. We see more American fashions. Jeans were becoming popular. Younger teens still wore short pants suits in the 50s, at last the early-50s. We no longer see this commonly by the late-50s. Many boys still wore short pants suits in the 1950s, often with sports shirts or with an open collar. By the 1960s, boys were increasingly wearing long pants suits, although suits were being worn less than before as German boys increasingly turned to more casual fashions. We no longer see boys wearing long stockings for formality by the end of the decade. Some boys wore white knee socks for formality.

The 1960s

Germany by the 1960s was the most prosperous country in Europe. German families had never been so affluent. The popularity of short pants suits in Germany declined in the 1960s. This was a generalized trend throughout Europe. The shorts tended to be cut very short in the 60s. We see school-age boys wearing short pants suits in the 60s, but rarly teen-agers, even younger teens. More boys were wearing ties with suits, both short pants and long pants suits.

The 1970s

We only see younger boys wearing short pants suits by the 70s and we see fewer boys wearing shorts during the winter months. Suit jackets and Leferhosen was an exception tyo some extent, especially in Bavaria.









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Created: 5:42 AM 1/11/2014
Last updated: 11:34 AM 1/12/2014