Sears Waist Union Suit (1932)


Figure 1.-- Here is a good illustration of the waist union suits that girls and boys wore extensively in 1932. The ad is from the Sears Fall 1932 catalog, p. 348. Waist union suits were popular for winter wear for boys and girls from age 2 to 12. These suits come in three different styles--some with ankle length legs and short sleeves, others with ankle length legs and long sleeves, and still others cut quite briefly with short legs and short sleeves.

Here is a good illustration of the waist union suits that girls and boys wore extensively in 1932. The ad is from the Sears Fall 1932 catalog, p. 348. Waist union suits were popular for winter wear for boys and girls from age 2 to 12. These suits come in three different styles--some with ankle length legs and short sleeves, others with ankle length legs and long sleeves, and still others cut quite briefly with short legs and short sleeves. All the models shown are made of wool or part-wool for winter warmth. And all have the usual tubular strap reinforcements over the shoulders to support garments such as short trousers, skirts, or bloomers, which could be attached to the waist buttons. An additional under-arm reinforcement strap extended to the hips with tape loops at the end so that pin-on supporters for long stockings could be attached.

Sears

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. In 1895 Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) 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 the 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.

Waist Union Suit

Another type of waist is the “waist suits” or “waist union suits”. These were union suits for children up to the age of about 13 or 14 (for both boys and girls) that came equipped with garter tabs and waist buttons for additional clothing, thus combining the function of the waist or hose supporter with that of traditional one-piece underwear. Good examples are the different styles of waist suits offered by Sexton in 1921, Nazareth in 1929, and Haines in 1933. Another example is the Sears 1938-39 Fall and Winter catalog Also see the HBC pages on Nazareth and Hanes waist suits (advertised in Parents Magazine).[Links here] Waists suits were made in both winter and summer styles (nainsook, with short legs, for summer; cotton knit, with long legs or short legs, for winter).

Chrnology

Here is a good illustration of the waist union suits that girls and boys wore extensively in 1932. The ad is from the Sears Fall 1932 catalog, p. 348.

Age

Waist union suits were popular for winter wear for boys and girls from age 2 to 12.

Styles

These suits come in three different styles--some with ankle length legs and short sleeves, others with ankle length legs and long sleeves, and still others cut quite briefly with short legs and short sleeves. All the models shown are made of wool or part-wool for winter warmth.

Construction

And all have the usual tubular strap reinforcements over the shoulders to support garments such as short trousers, skirts, or bloomers, which could be attached to the waist buttons. An additional under-arm reinforcement strap extended to the hips with tape loops at the end so that pin-on supporters for long stockings could be attached.

Conventions

Some rural children in the colder parts of the country continued to wear long stockings over long underwear and therefore needed the garter tabs. But short-leg waist union suits were becoming increasingly popular in the 1930s because they avoided the lumpy look of long stockings worn over long underwear and allowed girls and boys to have smoother looking stockings without lumps and wrinkles on their legs. Since the short trousers and skirts were now worn much shorter, the underwear needed to be correspondingly briefer and stockings knitted quite a bit longer to cover most of the upper thigh. The short-leg waist suits produced a dressier and neater look on stocking-clad legs.

Ad Copy

Here is the ad copy. The heading was, "Part Wool Waist Suits". There were two different styles. The first was 10 percent wool and is shown with short legs. The second was a heavier weight with 50 percent wool. Both were for both boys and girls.

Two-Ply Construction

The ad copy read, "Two-Ply Construction. 10 % Wool. For Boys or Girls. 78 cents Each Suit. 16K7108--Ankle length. 16K7109--Short leg style. Sizes to fit ages 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 years. State age. When not included in $2.00 order, send 4 cents for postage. --Cream-white color --Fully 10% fine Australian Wool --Balance fine Combed Cotton --Rayon striped. 2-ply construction --Elastic ribbed with tubular knit strap reinforcements [and tape loop tabs for hose supporters] --Dutch neck, short sleeves. [The term, Dutch neck, refers to a rounded, fairly low-cut neck line, so that underwear won't show under open shirts or low-cut dresses.] --Well-fitting Drop Seat [with three buttons, not shown].

Medium Heavy

The ad copy read, "Medium Heavy 50% Wool. $1.55 Each Suit. 16K7114--Cream-White Sizes to fit ages 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 years. State age. When not included in $2.00 order, send 4 cents for postage. --For Boys or Girls. --One-half selected Wool yarn. --One-half fine Combed Cotton. --High neck, long sleeves, ankle length. [Note that the high neck is for the warmer waist suit as opposed to the "Dutch neck" of the lighter weight models.] --Firmly sewed pearl buttons. --Comfortable Drop Seat [undoubtedly with three buttons] --Tubular knit strap reinforcements [over the shoulders for the waist buttons and under the arm for the garter tabs for attaching hose supporters]







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Created: 4:58 AM 10/13/2007
Last updated: 4:58 AM 10/13/2007