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The major elements of a suit were the jacket, vest, and pants. The vest , however, was not very common with Greek suits. The styling of a suit was mostly in the jacket. We do not notice any distinctive Greek styles. We note styles like the Norfolk, single-breasted, and double-breasted jacket. We notice Norfolk styling into the 1920s. The boys on the previous page are wearing double-breasted suit jackets. Greece at the time that modern trousers were evolving was controlled by the Ottoman Turks who heavily influenced fashions. Greek independence was secured at about the same time that long pants were replacing knee breeches (1820s). European style took hold in the cities, but traditional fashions persisted in the countryside hr the bulk of the population lived. We very few 19th century images at this time, so we are not sure about the pants boys wore with suits. We assume it was long pants in the first half of the centurion and then a mix of knee pants and long pants during the second half of the century. We have some information about 20h century suit pants, but our Greek archive is still limited. As in other European countries, knee pants were mostly worn in the early-20th century. After World War II we see the transition to short pants which were often like knee pants rather long. We see shorter lengths by the 1930s. Short pants became standard for boys. We note styles like the Norfolk, single-breasted, and double-breasted jacket. Vests were mot very common. And we note short, knee, knicker, and long pants. Short pants suits were very common in the first half of the 20th century. The popularity of these various styles generally followed wider European trends. Which meant that by the 1960s we see fewer boys wearing suits.
We begin to see Greek boys wearing Western suit jackets after independence (1820s). This at first mean the rather small urban middle and upper class. Greece is not a large country to begin with so the number of images was fairly limited, especially in the 19th century. We do not have a large Greek archive, but the images we have archived show a wide range of jacket styles. The styling of a suit is mostly on the jacket. We do not notice any distinctive Greek styles, but rather the same basic styles worn in other European countries. We note styles like Norfolk, single-breasted, and double-breasted jacket. We notice Norfolk styling into the 1920s. The boys on the previous page are wearing double-breasted suit jackets. The boy here wears a Norfolk jacket, probably in the 1920s (figure 1). The popularity of these various styles generally followed wider European trends
Vests do not seen very common in Greek suits. We suspect climate was a factor. Greece has a warm Mediterranean climate. Vests are more common in countries with cooler climates.
Greece at the time that modern trousers were evolving was controlled by the Ottoman Turks who heavily influenced fashions. Greek independence was secured at about the same time that long pants were replacing knee breeches (1820s).
European style took hold in the cities, but traditional fashions persisted in the countryside hr the bulk of the population lived. We very few 19th century images at this time, so we are not sure about the pants boys wore with suits. We assume it was long pants in the first half of the century and then a mix of knee pants and long pants during the second half of the century. We have some information about 20h century suit pants, but our Greek archive is still limited. We note short, knee, knicker, and long pants. Short pants suits were very common in the first half of the 20th century. As in other European countries, knee pants were mostly worn in the early-20th century. After World War II we see the transition to short pants which were often like knee pants rather long. We see shorter lengths by the 1930s. Short pants became standard for boys. Shorts continued to be standard in Greece until well after World War II through the 1950s. Most boys wore short pants suits into their teens. Some older boys wore knicker suits until after World War II, but unlike America knickers suits were not very common. The prevalence of short pants persisted into the 1960s. Here climate was surely a factor, making shorts a suitable garment for much 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. At the same time that long pants were becoming more common, suits were being worm much less commonly than was the case earlier.
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