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We note a variety of button-on play outfits offered in the Sears play suits in the Fall and Winter catalog. They were mostly kneepants outfits. The outfits were for little boys from 2 to 8 years. These outfits were almost all constructed with matching tops and bottoms with button-on pants are thus referred to as suits--albeit play suits. All the boys on this page are shown wearing their play clothes with long stockings, apparently dark brown or tan stockings.
The Sears, Roebuck and Co., huge merchandising firm centered in Chicago was founded by Richard W. Sears (1863-1914) and A.C. Roebuck (1864-1948). Sears had begun a career in mail-order business in Minnesota 1886. In Chicago he and Roebuck joined resources and formed a corporation in 1893 as a mail-order business under title Sears, Roebuck and Company. Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) in 1895 bought Roebuck's interest in firm and became president on Sears's retirement 1908. A retail-store system was added 1925. The first foreign store added in Havana, Cuba during 1945 and becane te first expropriated store in 1960. The Sears-Roebuck brought the production of industry to the fartherest corner of rural America, opening the cornucopia of the consumer age to rural America. All the new things that were changing American life danced across their pages. Through it, a huge Chicago warehouse offers to modernize the farms and small towns of the Midwest.
The page offering play suits appeared in the Sears Fall and Winter 1922 catalog. It is a good example of younger boys playwear in the early 1920s.
The play suits were for little boys 2 to 8 years old. Most were for boys 2-7 years of age. A few were for dlightly older boys 3-8 years of age. Note the age grouping. It is different from modern age grouping.
These suits are almost all constructed with matching tops and bottoms--with button-on kneepants or shorts. Here is is a little difficicult to tell. Even short pants were long, normally knee length at the time. Some of the pants seem to have the three buttons at the hem characteristic of kneepants. We also note bloomer knickers.
Note that the pants here are not referred to as kneepants or short pants. The terminology for pants at the time was highly variable. There was no consensus termsd for boys pants. The terms kneepants, knickers, and short pants might be used interchangeably. Some times these uses appear in the same catalog. Here Sears uses the term"stright-leg" pants. This means that the pants did not blouse at the leg hem like knicjers. Also note the use of the term "bloomer-style". HBC generally calls these pants bloomer knoicjers. This refers to the pants tht blouced at the leg hem like knickers. But they were pants worn by younger boys with tunic suits and not the knickers worn by older boys. The other term here is rompers. Today we associatye romers with one-piece suits with pants that puff or baloon out. American usage in the early 20th-century was one-piece suits, but not necessarily with puff pants. Here we see rompers with both bloomer knickers and kneepants.
All the boys on this page are shown wearing their play clothes with long stockings, apparently dark brown or tan stockings. The long stockings are worn for warmth, obviously, but also because mothers thought they looked dressier than bare legs with socks.
Some of the suits are dressier than others and were probably meant for dress-up occasions, but even play clothes in 1922 were supposed to make a boy look presentable.
We know a range of material being used for these suits. Several of these playsuits were done in corduroy. This was a popular fabric in the 1920s. It was commonly used for schoolwear, especially corduroy knickers. We also notice crash, flannel, flanelette, and galeta.
A variety of styles is shown. The tops of these suits are referred to as "waists" (not to be confused with underwaists or "waists" meaning garter waists). The rompers are one-piece and have "drop seats" in the rear. The drop seat arrangement is similar to the drop seats of boys' union suits of the same period--necessary in one-piece garments so that the entire garment doesn't have to be removed when using the toilet. One of the features advertised here is warmth--a clear sign that these are winter play suits. The Sears heading reads, "Prices That Save Many Dollars for Mother". The ad copy reads, "We have had the suits on these pages made up according to our own specifications of High Grade Standard Fabrics, tested in our own laboratories for Color Fastness, Strength and Wearing Qualities. The styles--look for yourself!--you wouldn't want a finer assortment to choose from. They cover all details demanded by the most "hard to please" mothers. In addition to this, these garments are made over Full Size Patterns; nothing but High Grade
workmanship clear through. All important seams are Double Stitched and
covered, so there are no raw edges." Sears not name many of these play suits.
We are not entirely sure about what was meant by "Oliver Twist suit". Sears seems to call the suits with collar tassels Oliver Twist suits, but we do not tyhink that is the key factor. Rather we think Sears is just referring to button-on styling. The skeketon suits worn during the Oliver Twist era, early 19th century had prominent buttons holding up the trousers. Note that the suit here seems to have the three buttons at the leg hem. Many of the other suits do not have these buttons. The Sears ad copy read, "Handsome Brown Corduroy Oliver Twist Style Suit
40 K 3321 $1.79 A very fine Oliver Twist Suit of good quality brown corduroy.
Buttons down front with plait effect. Long sleeves button at cuff. Fancy
breast pocket with flap. Silk cord and tassel tie. Strait style pants with
button trim at knee. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size. Average shipping weight
1 /3/4 pounds."
The Sears caption was "Dark Brown Corduroy, Braid Trimming". The ad copy read, "40 K 3319 $2.85 Good quality Oliver Twist Suit in dark brown corduroy.
Collar and cuffs are trimmed with two rows of white braid. Waist [i.e.,
shirt] buttons down front with plait effect. Breast pocket. Strait style
pants are button trimmed. A dressy, comfortable suit for cold weather. Sizes
3 to 8 years. State size. Average shipping wt. 1 3/4 lbs.
Sears calls this garment a romper, I think because it was a one-piece suit. A suit with separate top and pants would not have a drop-down seat. Several other suits here look to be one-piece suits, but in fact are not. They are seoarate tops and bottoms done in the button-on style. The Sears ad copy read, "Practical flannel Rompers $1.19
40 K 3618 Medium gray
40 K 3620 Dark blue
40 K 3623 Brown
Durable Winter Weight Flannel Rompers, about 30 percent wool. Made in neat,
plain style that is easy to launder. Drop seat. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State
size. Average shipping weight 1 3/4 lbs."
The Sears ad copy read, "Golden Brown Corduroy, Warm Winter Romper $1.19
40 K 3625--Corduroy wears so well and is so warm and comforable in chilly
weather that it makes an ideal romper for indoor winter wear. Simple one-
piece style makes it easy for the little fellow to dress himself. Drop seat.
Good quality pearl buttons. Sizes 2 to 7 years. Sate size. Average shipping
weight, 1 3/4 pounds.
The Sears ad copy read, "Better Quality Corduroy Romper, Golden Brown. $1.49
40 K 3627 Style as above except better quality throughout. Sizes 2 to 7
years. Sate size. Average shipping weight, 1 3/4 pounds."
The ad copy read, "Dark Brown Corduroy Pants. Tan Peggy Cloth Waist [i.e., top]. $1.48. 40 K 3315 Oliver Twist Style Suit. The square collar is trimmed with three
rows of braid. Cuff effect on sleeve, finished with braid. Good quality
smoked pearl buttons. Pretty black tie. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size.
Average shipping weight, 1 3/4 lbs. 40 K 3317 $1.48 Dark blue. Same style with dark blue corduroy pants and blue Peggy cloth waist. Sizes--2 to 7 years. State size. Average shipping wt. 1 1/2 pounds.
The Sears ad copy read, "They're Practical. Genuine Black Sateen Rompers. Fast Color Trimmings 40 K 3628 89 c. Heavy weight Genuine Black Sateen Rompers with fast color red trimming on collar, belt, pocket and cuffs. Drop seat. A neat looking,
practical romper that will save washing. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size.
Average shipping weight, 8 oz. [This is a one-piece suit.]
The pants here are done in the same style as the bloomer knickers worn with tunic suits, only this is a one-piece suit. The Sears ad copy read, "Gray Stripe Flannelette. Standard Quality Inexpensive Rompers 40 K 3617. 69 c. Warm, Bloomer Style Rompers of gray stripe flannelette. Fast color red piping at collar, pocket and belt. Double stitched seams for
strength. Drop seat. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size. Average shipping weight, 10 oz."
This suit is done with sailor styling, yet Sears refers to it as Oliver Twist style. I think it is the button-on styling that Sears is referring to. as Oliver Twist style.The Sears ad copy read, "Very Attractive Heavy Weight Galatea. Wears Excepitionally Well. 40 K 3654. $1.45 Washable Galatea Oliver Twist Style Suit. Straight style pants of plain dark blue. Waist [i.e., top] of narrow blue and white sripe with braid trimmed collar and cuffs of plain blue. PLain white dickey and
pretty black tie. Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size. Av. shpg wt., 13 oz."
The Sears ad copy read, "Heavy Weight Crash Suit. Washes Beautifully
40 K 3651. $1.39 Strong, heavy weight Wash Suit of linen color cotton crash
suiting. Plain blue Peggy cloth collar and piping on pockets and cuffs.
Waist has plaited panel effect in front as shown. Black cord and tassel tie.
Sizes 2 to 7 years. State size. Av. Shpg wt., 14 oz.
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