Dutch Boys' Clothes: Pants Suspension


Figure 1.--This Dutch schoolboy in 1949 ears his belt over his sweater. HBC is unsure as to the origins of this style.

Some boys wore suspenders or bracers to keep up their pants. Younger boys wore suspender pants with the suspenders attached. Some younger boys wore button on shorts. Older boys wore belts which was the most common way for boys to keep their pants up. In some instanced boys wore their belts over their sweaters rather than to hold up their pants. HBC has no information on the origins of this style.

Chronology

HBC does not at this time have good information on chronological trends concerning suspension devices. I believe that both suspspenders and belts were worn in the 19th century, but do not understand the respective chronoloical trends or what determined if a boy wore suspenders or belts. Belts gradually became more common in the 20th century. Younger boys by the 1920s were wearing suspeners pants, pants with suspeners attached. Button on pants, usually shorts were worn by younger boys, I think beginning in the 1920s. Boys began wearing belts over their sweaters, I think in the 1930s.

Types

Some boys wore suspenders or bracers to keep up their pants. Younger boys wore suspender pants with the suspenders attached. Some younger boys wore button on shorts. Older boys wore belts which was the most common way for boys to keep their pants up. In some instanced boys wore their belts over their sweaters rather than to hold up their pants. HBC has no information on the origins of this style.

Suspenders

HBC believes that suspenders were worn in the 19th century, but HBC at this time has little informatiion

Belts

Belts appear t have been increasingly popular in the 20th century. During the 1930s and 40s they were sometimes worn over a sweater (not usually over a shirt) rather than in belt loops.

Suspender pants

Suspender pants were common for younger boys. They had over the shoulder suspenders in the same fabric as the pants sewn right on--usually to the back, They might button to the front. Suspener shorts were the most common, but there were also suspender long pants.

Button-on shorts

Younger boys might also wear button-on pants with buttons on the shirt or blouse fitting into button holes in the pants. These were almost alwats short pants.





Christopher Wagner





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Created: February 24, 2001
Last updated: February 24, 2001