Figure 1.--School shorts were commonly made with no rear pockets. We are guessing that the assumption was that youjnger boys wearing short trousers did not need to carry a wallet which is the main purpose of a back pocket. |
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School trousers may seem very basic, but there were actually a range of features and alternatives. English school trousers fully tailored with full zip fly, belt loops, and pockets. Traditionally the pants had button flys, but by the 1980s zippers were used. We note pants with both two front pockets and no back pockets as well as three pockets, two front pockers and a rear pocket. We are not sure just how this varied between short and long trousers. We are guessing that the assumption was that youjnger boys wearing short trousers did not need to carry a wallet which is the main purpose of a back pocket. Fastening and waistline designed varied. Hook and bar fastening were usually employed for waistband closures. We note tab styling. The shorts and longs for younger boys were were commonly elasticized at the back. Both shorts and longs have a sharp crease, except for the corduroy trousers. The shorts, but not the trousers are commonly lined, but less expensive non-lined shorts were available through the chain stores. The long trousers were often front pleated.
Traditionally pants had button flys. This was almost universal in the first half of the 20th century. This began to change after World War II. By the 1960s zippers were widely used and virtually universal by the 70s.
Fastening and waistline designed varied. Hook and bar fastening were usually employed for waistband closures. We note tab styling.
The long trousers were often front pleated.
The shorts and longs for younger boys were were commonly elasticized at the back. Elasticized backs spread from pre-prep school wear and, at least until recently, were only found on long trousers for those whose ages were in single figures, as more and more under-10s no longer wore shorts. This is a trend that many prep schools have since resisted.
Both shorts and longs have a sharp crease, except for the corduroy trousers.
We note pants with both two front pockets and no back pockets as well as three pockets, two front pockers and a rear pocket. We are not sure just how this varied between short and long trousers. We are guessing that the assumption was that youjnger boys wearing short trousers did not need to carry a wallet which is the main purpose of a back pocket. Boys had less spending money and what they had was mostly coins rather than pound notes. A reader writes, "Your guess about the reason for UK shorts not having a back pocket is broadly correct. Even back in the days when boys commonly remained in shorts into their teens, their smaller stature meant that a back pocket in proportion to the garment as a whole was not going to be much use for its original purpose. As you know I was moving from shorts to longs in the late 1950s, when we were still subject to corporal punishment (especially as boarders). The folklore at the time was that shorts-wearers were denied a back pocket to facilitate the impact of slipper or cane (the lining question was somehow ignored). Another myth was that, once in longs, we would
be so mature and beyond criticism that such punishments would be something of the past. Most of us soon discovered that to be myth and nothing but myth! Such were the taboos of those days that these things tended to be discussed only amongst one's peer, not in the hearing of adults (particularly parents) and such exchanges were even frowned upon by boys slightly older than ourselves. A more open culture came in
subsequent decades, as did the far less frequent use of such disciplinary methods. The two were possibly not unconnected.
The shorts, but not the trousers were commonly lined. This was especislly the case in prep school uniforms. We note less expensive non-lined shorts were available through the chain stores. A reader tells us, "As to the garments themselves, lining was the normal specification and this, apparently, originated from their wear many decades back without separate underpants."
Cuffs or as the British call then\m, turn-ups, are another feature on pants. We began seeing some cuffs on the longer-length shorts that began to appear in the 1990s. They were, however, not very common. And most schools as part of the uniform approach discoraged or prohibited them. We are less sure about the cuffs on long trousers.
As followers of fashion, school outfitters tend to be well behind the times. When pleats and turn-ups went out in the 1960s, outfitters continued to stock and to manufacture in styles more attuned to the 1950s and even the 1940s (high waists and generously-cut seats with room for a cushion). They responded to flares about the time that flares went out of fashion (cf UK police uniforms); pleats returned in the 1980s but, only years after they had overtaken most menswear, did they turn up again on school trousers. The 1990s trend for longer-length shorts was
met with a swifter response, although by then styles tended to be more mixed as rigidly-detailed clothing regulations became less apparent even in many prep schools. The length of shorts is always difficult to
assess, as boys grow into and out of them!
