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There were important changes in underwear styles during the 1920s, especially by the end of the decade. This was in part due to the changes in children clothing, especially the more casual styles and shorter cut clothing like short pants. We notice ads showcasing complete lines of children's and family underear styles. We see some well-established items. We also notice waist union suits, combining support garmnts anf the union suit, a major underwear garment fot decades. We also notice more modern-looking garments like vests (singlets) and colorful boxer shorts.
Here is on of the new styles of underwear that could be worn with short pants. This Nazareth Children's Underwear ad appered in Parent's Magazine during October 1929, p. 53. . This advertisement for Nazareth Children's Underwear advised parents, "While Nazareth undergarments retain the old-fashioned comfort which only knitted fabrics can give, Nazareth styles are thoroughly modern. Necks, sleeves and legs are cut to harmonize ith junior styles in outer garments." The illustration shows a boy of about 12 wearing the "heavyweight" Nazareth waist union suit with short legs and short sleeves. This is a style designed specifically for boys.
A Montgomery Ward ad that appeared in Saturday Evening Post in October 1929, the year of the great stock market crash. This ad for underwear that addresses the needs of the entire family. At the bottom left, we have waist union suits in two styles for girls and boys, although only girl models are shown. One is trunk length, the other ankle-length. Both have short sleeves. These suits have reinforcement straps, waist buttons, and garter tabs. In the middle panel we have men's union suits in two different weights--both
with long sleeves and ankle-length legs. At the top right we have boy's union suits--a junior version of what the fathers are wearing in the middle panel. At the bottom right we have two styles of brief men's underwear--undershirts and shorts and a sleeveless union suit with button closure at the shoulder strap.
This page comes from Ward's Fall and Winter catalog for 1929-30, p. 255. Waist union suits were very popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s because they enabled mothers to dress their children in a way that combined the typical winter or summer underwear (i.e., the union suit) with the features of an underwaist (with reinforcement straps over the shoulders, waist buttons, and tabs for the attachment of supporters for long stockings).
We note a transition in underwear styles going on during 1928. We see some well-established items. We also notice waist union suits, combining support garmnts anf the union suit, a major underwear garment fot dcades. We also notice more modern-looking garments like vests (singlets and coloful boxer shorts. Best offered colorful striped boxer shorts which were worn with white vests (figure 1). I recall my dad calld these undersirts 'vests' The modern term seems to be singlet. As far as we know, this was the beginning of strioed boxers which became very common.
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