Our Greek archive is very limited, but we believe that Western garments were rare in Greece until independence from the Ottoman Empire after independence (1820s). Then we begin to see Western garments, at first primary in the cities. Details on the various gatments are re not yet availablebecausee have so few images. The introduction of a German monarchy meant that German styles were important. Western garments were largely worn and began to become more common in the countryside (early-20th cebtury). After World War I this process continued. Boys commonly wore short pants. Long stockings do not seem very common. Many boys went barefoot. Both climare and poverty were factors. Even at the time of Workd War II we still see traditional garments in the countryside. Since the 1980s Greek boys garments have become generally indistinguishable from those worn in America and the rest of Europe.
As elsewhere in Europe, young boys commonly wore dresses and other skirtged garments like their sisters thoughout the 19th century. We are not sureabout earlier times when Greecewas arovince of the Ottoman Empire. Andeven after independence we are not sure how families dressed boysin rurak areas wheretraditional styles were prevalent. In the cities and towns we believe that the general European fashion of dressing boys in dresses was common. At this time we do not have enough information to make any assesments s to prevalence, styles, and conventions. We will not be able to do this until we acquir more images. After the turn of the 20th century this fashion continued but gradually declined in popularity.
I am not sure at this time how common smocks were in Greece. HBC at this time has no evidence that they were widely worn, but our historical information on Greece is stull very limited. We do know, however, that they were extensively worn as a school garment. Many school children did wear smocks. They were required at schools as a nation-wide rule for many years. A Greek reader reports school children in the 1950s wearing blue smocks with wide white collars. One Greek reader describes wearing a smock at a private school in the 1980s. Wearing smocks to school, however, for the most part ended when the Greek Government banned school uniforms in 1982.
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We see Greek boys wearing many if the same juveile outfits as boys in other European countries. A differenc in Greece was the relative poverty of Greece. And our limited Greek archives also limits our ability to cover it. Poverty is also a factor in the limiited photographic record for Greece in the 19th century. We know more about the 20th century. Important examples are Fauntleroy and sailor suits.
We do not see many Greek boys wearing Fauntleroy suits during the height of the Fauntleroy craze (1885-1905). This is an era for which we have found relatively few images. We suspect that there were relativly few Greek boys wearing Fauntleroy suits. Here we think the poverty of Greece and the rather small middle class as factors.
We do begin to see some Greek boys waring Fauntleroy styles outfits after World War I in the inter-War era. This atually seems more common than actual Funtleroy suits during the Fauntleroy Craze. A good example is an unidentified liitle boy in a 1930s family porrait.
The sailor suit was a popular garment in Greece as in much of the rest of Europe. Our information is still limited, but we have begun to collect some basic information. HBC notes a portrait of a boy in a traditionally styled kneepants sailor suit in the 1870s. We are not sure how common these suits were at this time. We suspect that they were mostly worn by boys from relatively affluent families in the larger cities. Another portrait probablt from the 1910s shows a boy wearing a white sailor suit with bloomer knickers. We suspect by this time that the sailor suit fashion was much more widespread in Greece. We note that it seems less common to wear sailor suits with long stckings than it was in the more northerly European countries.
Some younger boys appear to have worn rompers. We note one inmage from the 1930s of boys wearing rompers. This may have been an Itlalian or French influence. We do not know how lng this fashion persisted or how common it was. It appears to have been primarily boys from affluent families.
Greece was the first psrt of the Balkans freed from Ottoman rule. Thus by the 20th century it was the mosrt Westernized area of the Balkans. Boys wore Western style suits. Traditional garmnts were mostly for special occassionsand festivals. We see Greek boys wearing the same styls of suits as worn elwhere in Europe. We do not notice any destive Greek styles. The major factor affecting suits in Greece was that Greece was a relatively poor country. It was not significantly industrialized and still largely agricuktural. Many Greek families coulkd not afford a nice suit for their boys. Suits were of course the most expensive outfit for boys. This did not chsnge until after World war II when Greece began to bnefit from the expnding economies of estern Europe and the movenent toward unification. We do not yet have detiled informtion on popular styles, but as far as we can tell they were similsr to those in othr European countries. We note styles like the Norfolk, single-breasted, and double-breasted jacket. And we note short, knee, knicker, and long pants. The popularity of these various styles generally followed wider European trends.
By the 1920s, short pants were becoing increasingly common in Greece. Boys wore short pants suits. Some older boys wore knicker suits until after World War II. Short pants trend that persisted through the 1960s. Here climate was surely a factor, making shorts a suitable garment for uch of the year as opposed to the colder more northerly climates in other European countries. Greek boys still wear shorts, but now mostly as casual wear in the summer.
A gym or physical education (PE) called "formes" was adopted in the 1970s, but in the 1980s became popular as ordinary schoolwear. One major change from the mid-70s on was the introduction of a specific sport outfit for the class of physical education. Cotton trousers with matched tops were required for both boys and girls
in Demotiko and Gymnasio. At the beginning teachers tolerated students who couldn't afford them but when they became cheap in late 70s they were strictly required for PE class. The term used for this outfit is 'forma' or in plural 'formes' which means uniform in Greek. In the 1980s with the abolishment of school uniform, children began wearing their formes to class as school garments rather than PE garments. But they have nothing to do with school uniforms since students can buy any type and color they like. Since the late 80s Nike, Adidas and other brands are prefered by students over the classic "made in Greece" cheap cotton forms. While formes were developed primarily for schoolwear they are now widely worn at home as casualwear as well as schoolwear.
Knee socks were widely worn in the 1920s-40s, but often by boys from more affluent families. Sport shorts and tube socks were popular in the 1980s.
Greece was a poor country in the 19th century and many children went barefoot. Climate was another factor making gouing barefoot more practical. Children with shoes oftern wore heavy book-like shoes although boys frpm affluent damilies might wear more fashional footwear. In the 20th century children often went barefoot through the 1940s, the aftermath of World War II and the Civil War causing emense economic dislocations. As the economy has improved, children less commonly go barefoot. Sandals since World War I have proven very popular and children often wore them without socks. Since the 1980s sneakers have become increasing popular.
Greece during 19th and much of the 20th century was a poor country. Much of the population had little money to spend on clothes. Thus if clothing was wripped or torn, most mothers would not throw the item away, but instead patched it. This was especially trur of children's clothes because children are so hard on their clothes. There were many techniques for patching clothes. They were copmmonly used up until the 80s. A HBC reader tells us, "I
remember myself and my friends wearing patched clothing--especially our trousers."
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