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Here are four more knicker suits. The Sears catalog also offered long pants suits. There were five different long pants suits. All were done with single-breasted suits. They were offered on a page with knickers suits. Like the other suits in the catalog, they were all single-breasted suits. Akk of these suits seem to have the same cut. The illustrations depict older teenagers wearing the longpants suit. Actually there were not a great difference in the long pants and knicker suits depicted together. The long pants suits were made in sizes down to age 9 years.
A history of mail order catalogs is helpful in understanding the time line of tese catalogs and the clothing sold through them. Sears-Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs were the great cornucopias of material goods for the early 20th century. All the new things that were changing American life danced across their pages. Through it, huge warehouses offered to modernize the farms and small towns of the Midwest. The booming city of Chicago was the center of the American wholesale dry goods trade at mid-century. It was thus no accident as the railroad spread out through the
midwest that the two giants of American merchanizing were born in Chicago. Creating a huge industry is only part of the impact made by Aaron Montgomery Ward. The lifestyles of America were altered by catalog merchandising. Not only
material but social and cultural aspects of American life were deeply affected. In 1946, the Grolier Society in New York included the Montgomery Ward catalog in
its collection of 100 American books chosen for their bearing on the life and culture of the people. In the words of the Grolier selection committee, "The Mail order
catalog has been perhaps the greatest single influence in increasing the standards of American middle-class living." While Sears and Wards were the first companies,
they were followed by many others. Pennys was especially important in America. Quelle was very important in Germany.
These knicker suits were offered in the 1930 Sears catalog
(Spring and Summer), p. 289.
The individual suits here are for older boys and are keyed to texts on an adjoining page by letters--A, B, C, etc. We are not sure why the knickers suits are displayed here with the long pants suits. We assumne that there was just not enough room on the other page with knickers suits. The fact that Sears offered so many more knickers than long pants suits suggests to us that American boys much more commonly wore knicker than long pants suits. There were difference in age ranges, but the long pants suits were made in sizes down to age 9 and knickers suit were made for boys up to age 18, although this varied.
The long pants suits were all single-breasted. They were made in sizes up to 16-18 years, the same as many of the knicker suits. The long pants suits were made for boys a young as 9 years old.
There were also four knickers suits on the page with the long pants suits. They were also single-breasted suits. The sizing of the suits shown here varied somewhat but were done in sizes up to 16-18 years. All of these suits both the long pants and knicjers suits seem to have the same style and jacket cut. We don't see any destinctive aspect of these four knicker suits, only that they were additional choices of colors and fabrics to the other knicker suits offered by Sears. The differences also occur in whether or not there is a vest (waistcoat) and an extra pair of pants.
The ad copy read, "You probably know Boyville quality--most mothers do. The twenty-five
points of Boyville supremacy listed at the left have become famous in the
ten years we have featured these better suits for boys. Boys and
mothers both know that they will take all the hard knocks that a red
blooded
boy can give them--and come up smiling. Yet this toughness is combined
with neat good looks, as witness these new spring patterns. One is a Tan
mixed pattern with a handsome Rayon overplaid decoration. The other has
the same overplaid but in a neat medium gray. Both fabrics are all wool
and silk. The coat is lined with famous Hercules Gibraltar lining, and
knickers are full lined. Order the suit with extra knickers and solve his
clothes problem for a long time! SIZES--7 to 18 years. State age size.
40 V 3000--Tan Boyville Golf Knicker Suit. Postpaid $8.95. 40 V 3002--Tan
Boyville Suit With Two Pairs Golf Knickers. Postpaid 11.50. 40 V
3001--Medium Gray Boyville Golf Knicker Suit. Postpaid $8.95. 40 V
3003--Medium Gray Boyville Suit With Two Pairs Golf Knickers. Postpaid
$11.50."
The ad copy read, "All wool and silk cassimere--that's the fabric! Boys like it for its good looks, especially in this attractive new bluish gray shade. Mother likes it because it wears and holds those good looks for a remarkably long time.
And Dad likes it for its price. Attractice two-button coat lined with
Seropaca. Popular golf style knickers also full lined. SIZES--7 to 16
years. State age size. 40 V 3180--Bluish Gray All Wool and Silk Cassimere
Suit. Postpaid $6.35. 40 V 3181--Same Suit with Two Pairs Knickers.
Postpaid $8.35.
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The ad copy read, "Here's just about the snappiest outfit a boy would want! Start with the
fabric--an all wool and silk cassimere medium tannish brown in shade, with
peppy attractive overplaid decorations and a stylish novelty weave. Then
there's the Tattersall vest with its neat pleats and snappy flap on the
lower pockets. And there are the pleats in the knickers, too. All these
features we modeled exactly from Big Brother's latest style! The all
wool
fabric will wear, too, and with the extra trousers the suit is a real
"buy". SIZES 7 to 17 years. State age size. 40 V 3283--Suit with One Pair
of Knickers. Postpaid $6.95. 40 V 3179--Suit with Two Pairs of Knickers.
Postpaid 8.95."
Tge ad copy read, "Fine all wool and silk fabric, latest style, and two pairs of
knickers--all at this price--makes a bargain to shout about! The all wool
and silk cassimere is a dandy! Stylish medium gray in shade, it has lots
of snap because of the herringbone weave and the attractive overplaid
decorations. Very long wearing. Suit is in latest style with peaked
lapels. Tattersall vest with pleats and two pairs of golf style knickers
with pleats. Coat is lined with Seropaca. SIZES--7 to 17. 40 V 3287--Suit
with Coat, Vest, and Two Pairs Golf Knickers. Postpaid $7.95. 40 V
3274--Suit with One Pair Knickers. Postpaid 5.95."
The knicker suits here were just some of themany knicker suits offered by Sears in the Spring-Summer 1930 catalog. There were severak more knicker suits for older boys and two for younger boys.
The sizing chart for the knicker suits in the Sears Spring and Summer catalog (1930), correlating chest, waist, and inseam measurements to age. It appears on p. 287 right next to the text descriptions of the individual suits on p. 286.
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