Figure 1.--Here we have a Le Redoute 1959 offering outfits for younger boys and girls.
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Figure 1.--Here we have a Le Redoute 1959 offering outfits for younger boys and girls. |
French mail order catalogs and clothing advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. We have some information from 1959 on romper suits that had been popular since 1959. More modern looking shorts sets and bib-front long pants were also available for younger boys. HBC notes that there were many more smocks advertised for girls than boys in 1959. Most smocks were designs specifically for boys are girls, but a few could be wotn by either gender. The popularity for smocks seems to have been declining in France, but we still note newspaper and catalog ads. Younger boys might wear blouses rather than shirts, especially when dressing up for special occassions. The popularity of blouses for younger boys was still quite common in the 1950s, but had befun to decline somewhat by 1959.
Rompers were still popular in 1959. Rompers in 1959 still appear to have been made for pre-school children. They were exclusively for boys. They were primarily a play garment to be worn around the home are for outings to the beach, but there were dressier versions as well. Little boys also wire shorts sets and bib-front garments.
La Redoute offered these romper and other outfits for little children, but it is reportedly a large, well known Parisian department store. La Redoute in 1959 offered quite a range of different outfits for little boys and girls.
Le Redoute also offered other play suits other than rompers. There were both short and long pants garments. Some of the short pants outfits look like they could have been worn for more formal events as well as casual play.
HBC notes that there were many more smocks advertised for girls than boys in 1959. Most smocks were designs specifically for boys are girls, but a few could be wotn by either gender. The popularity for smocks seems to have been declining in France, but we still note newspaper and catalog ads.
La Redoute offered several different styles of smocks. Most styles were for girls. Most smocks were designs specifically for boys are girls, but a few could be worn by either gender. The boys's smocks were made in younger sizes while the girls' smocks were made in sizes for teenagers.
Here is a 1959 catalog page for school smocks. We note several different styles for both boys and girls. The popularity of front buttoning smocks was increasing for boys, but we still note back buttoning smocls for younger boys. There was also a side buttoning style available. We note both solid colors and checks. Some had collars or lpels. Others were collarless.
Younger boys might wear blouses rather than shirts, especially when dressing up for special occassions. The popularity of blouses for younger boys was still quite common in the 1950s, but had befun to decline somewhat by 1959.
La Redoute in 1959 offered two styles of blouses for boys up to 6 years of age. One was a fancy style. Another was more plain , but rather unusually for a plain style had puff sleeves. Both were done in white.
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