Figure 1.-- Macy's offered various underwear for small boys and all girls. The boys underwear was for sizes up to 6 years of age. The girls underwear was for sizes up to 16 years. Included were boys' union suits and mesh underwear for children. Macy's was more upscale than Sears and not quite as upscale as Best & Company.

Macy's offered various underwear for small boys and all girls. The boys underwear was for sizes up to 6 years of age. The girls underwear was for sizes up to 16 years. Included were boys' union suits and mesh underwear for children. Macy's was more upscale than Sears and not quite as upscale as Best & Company.

Macy's

Macy was one of the best known Newyor Department stores. The competion between Macy and Gimbles was one of the classical competitions in retailing. It was memoralized in the wonderful Christms film, "Miricle on 34th Street". The film features Macy's famed toy department. Macy's was more upscale than Sears and not quite as upscale as Best & Company. Macey also had a catalog, but no where as extensive as Sears or Wards. We have very little informtin about Macey's catalog business. While Macey began as a New York Department Store it expanded in the 1990s, taking over many local deparment store chins. It is now the most imporant deprtment store chain in America, eclipsing Sears in the 2000s.

Seasonality

This is clearly a catalog for light-weight summer cllothes. It could be a spring-summer catalog, here we are not sure as we do npt have the title page.

Underwear Page

This page was headed, "For small boys and all girl's. Cool underwear." Macy's offered various underwear, although a much more limited selection thsanthe major national msail order ctalogs. This required Macy to organixe its selections a little differently. They included the underwear for little boys with the girls' underwear. The boys underwear was for sizes up to 6 years of age. The girls underwear was for sizes up to 16 years. As some of the items were for both boys and girls, it made some sence including ghe little boys' underwear with the girls underwear.

Supre-Macy Brand

A Macy's brand name was "Supre-Macy". The ad copy read, "Supre-Macy is Macy's own famous high quality cotton knit underwear, tested and approved by Macy's Bureau of Standards foe wasability, strength, absorbtion, and content. Sizes conform to our own rigid specifications; workmanship is consistently fine; prices are consistently low. White only unless othrwise noted." Macy's uses an asterick to mark the Supre-Macy brand items.

Boys' Items

The Macy's little boys underwear offered included union suits for boys and mesh underwear for children. Here are the various underwear items offered for boys, including the items made for both bous and girls.

D. B36D--Boys' union suit*

This was a summer catalog. Thus the unionsuits offered for both the boys and girls were short pants union suits. The Macy's ad copy read, "Boys' unionsuit*, fine combed cotton mesh, the perfect Summer weight. Elatic back, reinforced gusset. 2, 4, 6----69c. B36D1---*Same fine cotton knit----69c." Notice that in the image of the boy's union suit, there are taped waist buttons under the arms, presumably for buttoning on short trousers, but it isn't clear from the drawing whether there are also pin tubes for supporters. Usually the two features went together on waist union suits. Notice the 1941 waist Sears union suits of very similar design which have both waist buttons and garter pin tubes. On the other hand because this was a summer catalog (sleeveless union suit is obviously for summerwear, so maybe the garter tabs would be omitted.

E. B36E--Mesh vest and panties*

The Macy's ad copy read, "Mesh vest*, with buttons, for boys or girls, fine combed cotton. 2, 4. 6---37c. B36E1--* Same, fine combed cotton knit.---37c. B36G--Mesh panties*, elastic back, yoke front with buttonholes to button to vests. For boys or girls, sizes 2, 4, 6 ----37c. B36G1--* Same, fine cotton knit.---37c." The terminology is interesting here. "Vest" is the British term for undershirt. It is still used there. It was also used in America in the early 1900s. Macy uses it here. But as a boy growing up in the 1940s, I don't recall it being used, except that my dad did use the term. Also "pantines" was the term for girls underpants. Boys in the 40s never would have used the term.

G. B36H--Cambric underwaist

Underwaists were garments ment to hold up pants and sjirts as well as long stockings. Notice that on the underwaist, there are clearly tabs for attaching supporters for long stockings. The Macy's ad copy read, "Cambric underwaist with button back. Boys' or girls' sizes 2, 4, 6. Girls' sizes 8, 10, 12, 14. (ship wt. 1 lb)---3 for 94c." A reader writes, "The underwaist shows that long stockings were being provided for, even in a summer catalog. We see long stockings advertised in Sears and Wards even in the summer catalogs in the early 1940s, although they become a minor item after the mid-30s."

H. B36J--Training pants

The Macy's ad copy read, "Training pants, soft rib knit cotton, wide reinforcement at crotch. For boys or girls, 2, 4, 6. (ship wt. 1 lb)---3 for 94c."

J. B36K--Training pants

The Macy's ad copy read, "Training pants, fine quality double knit combed cotton, reinforced at crotch. For boys or girls, sizes 2, 4, 6. ---47c."

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits] [Eton suits] [Knickers] [Short pants] [Long pants]
[Suspender pants] [Button-on styling] [Jeans] [Long stockings] [Stocking supporters] [Waists] [Underwear] [Fastners]

Created: 8:30 PM 1/10/2009
Last updated: 8:15 PM 1/11/2009