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American mail order catalogs and advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. Advdertising continues to be somewhat less common than earlier or later, we assume a result of the War. American mail order catalogs in 1945 still featured some of the styles of the 1930s, but we notice a range of changes. Knickers were still worn to a limited extent, but had declined markedly in popularity. Long pants were becoming increasingly standard for boys. Younger boys still wore short pants, especially in the summer. Here social class was a factor. A McCalls patterns shows boys' overcoats, worn with shiort pants and ankle socks. Sears still had long stockings and Eton collars, but they were rapidly disappearing. This is reflected both in the space devoted to these styles as well as independently in the photographic record.
We notice Eton collars still pictured in Sears ads, but we are not sure they were still offered for sale,
We notice a boy wearing an Eton collar in a Sears catalog offering Pilgrim long stockings. Both garments were rapidly going out of fashion in 1945. I'm not sure if Sears was still offering Eton collars. This was another garment that we notice in the 1930s before the War, but much less common after the War. The only Eton collrs we notice to any extent by 1945 were those worn by small boys with Eton suits.
We do not yet have much information on 1945 boys coats. All we have is a McCalls patterns from 1945 for boys' coats which could be made in various mall differences (figure 1). The look like short overcoats. The pattern evelope we have was mase in size 3. We are not aware of the full size range. The coat could be made in different styles and lengths. we also note different stylistic details. This is a rather formal styles and not like the morecasual, sporty styles boys now wear.
We notice American boys wearing short and long trousers. Knickers were still available, but rapidly going out of style. Knickers were stll quite common before the War, but by the end of the War were generally seen as an old-fashioned style.
We notice most boys wearing ankle socks and to a much lesser extet kneesocks. Long stovkings sere still available but rapidly going out of style.
We notice a boy wearing an Eton collar in a Sears catalog offering Pilgrim long stockings. Both garments were rapidly going out of fashion in 1945. I'm not sure if Sears was still offering Eton collars. This was another garment that we notice in the 1930s before the War, but much less common after the War. The only long stockings we notice to any extent by 1945 were those worn by small boys and to a greater extent girls. We believe that they were worn in thelate 1940s by children in the northern states as part f winterwear. We know girls wore them, we are less sure about boys as they were mostly wearing long pants.
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