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During the Edwardian era hemlines for young girls remained shorter at a later age, so girls aged 9 or 10 years of age would wear something akin to what a 4-year old wore in Victorian times. A brief comment on school fashion, which will be described later, in the early twentieth century girls were often only educated to their early teens when it was custom for them to go into service to work as domestics in large houses. The typical school garment at the time would be a white pinafore that would be slightly shorter than the mid calf length dress it was worn over. The 1920s brought the most radical change to women’s fashions; women liberated themselves and started to wear more comfortable clothes including shorter length dresses and skirts, and trousers. Many of these changes also reflected on the fashions for girls who now wore clothes made of lighter fabrics. Although hemlines were regarded as short in the 1920s most adult women hemlines were never higher than the top of the knee, however dresses with hemlines well above the knee for young girls (under the age of 10 or 11) were beginning to appear. School wear was also beginning to change with the introduction of gymslips (also referred to as tunics, and pinafores, although different). The purpose of the gymslip was originally intended to be an item of clothing for games activities; a short dress but with no arms, it gave easy movement for sports such as netball and hockey. Schools started to adopt gymslips as the standard day wear for all activities including academic lessons. Gymslips remained the standard attire for most school girls until the 1950s, and many primary and prep schools still have pinafores as part of their uniform today. The 1930s were economically difficult times and the female fashions became much more conservative. Mid calf was the typical adult women’s skirt length. Younger girls would tend to wear their skirts shorter. The differences in the dress length to what a young daughter would wear compared to her mother can be noticed in photographs from the era. Often the mother’s dress would fall below the length of her daughter’s despite the significant difference in height as a 1931 family photograph shows. Older girls would wear similar dresses to their mothers and this practice continued until the 1950s with the evolution of teenage fashions.
During World War II (1939-45) era, Britain rationed clothing. Most women wore skirts at or near knee-length, with simply-cut blouses or shirts and square-shouldered jackets, and their daughters often wore hand me downs from either from their older sisters as they grew out of their clothes. Rationing made new clothing scare and it was necessary to “make do and mend”. Just like how a wartime teenage boy might have to remain in short trousers until he was 16 as opposed to 13 due to wartime shortages, a teenage girl may have to make do with dresses and skirts above the knee. Many schools also relaxed their uniform requirements as supplies were not always available, or opened their own second hand shops so uniform items from leavers could be reissued. The post war period brought an unprecedented era of economic growth and social change. Rock and Roll with the associated fashions influenced youth culture and mass produced affordable “off the peg clothing” was available. Young girls still tended to wear conservative outfits that mimicked older women’s fashions (with shorter hemlines for the youngest), but teenagers fortunate enough to receive generous pocket money allowances could afford the latest fashions. However, being fashionable at school remained impossible for most girls. Many of the new grammar schools established in the 1944 Butler Education Act were no longer constrained by war time restrictions and could adopt strict uniform requirements. Trousers for girls were virtually unheard of, with gymslips and pinafores common for many secondary school girls, although it was usual for sixth formers to be allowed to wear more grown up skirts. It was also customary to see headwear typically with berets in the winter and boaters in the summer (worn with summer dresses). Girls were wearing trousers with increasing regularity outside school, and schools from the 1970s onwards were beginning to allow girls to wear them largely as a result of pressure from women’s lib campaigns. By the 1990’s the majority of state schools in the UK allowed girls to wear trousers although a large number did not including maintained (church) schools. There was an increasing amount of debate on the subject as many girls were not happy that they had to wear skirts and dresses especially in cold weather, or they were self-conscious about their appearance. A raft of anti-discriminatory legislation had come into being from the 1970s including the Equal Opportunities Act, which created the Equal Opportunities Commission.
During the Edwardian era hemlines for young girls remained shorter at a later age, so girls aged 9 or 10 years of age would wear something akin to what a 4-year old wore in Victorian times. A brief comment on school fashion, which will be described later, in the early twentieth century girls were often only educated to their early teens when it was custom for them to go into service to work as domestics in large houses. The typical school garment at the time would be a white pinafore that would be slightly shorter than the mid calf length dress it was worn over.
The 1920s brought the most radical change to women’s fashions; women liberated themselves and started to wear more comfortable clothes including shorter length dresses and skirts, and trousers. Many of these changes also reflected on the fashions for girls who now wore clothes made of lighter fabrics. Although hemlines were regarded as short in the 1920s most adult women hemlines were never higher than the top of the knee, however dresses with hemlines well above the knee for young girls (under the age of 10 or 11) were beginning to appear. School wear was also beginning to change with the introduction of gymslips (also referred to as tunics, and pinafores, although different). The purpose of the gymslip was originally intended to be an item of clothing for games activities; a short dress but with no arms, it gave easy movement for sports such as netball and hockey. Schools started to adopt gymslips as the standard day wear for all activities including academic lessons. Gymslips remained the standard attire for most school girls until the 1950s, and many primary and prep schools still have pinafores as part of their uniform today.
The 1930s were economically difficult times and the female fashions became much more conservative. Mid-calf was the typical adult women’s skirt length. Younger girls would tend to wear their skirts shorter. The differences in the dress length to what a young daughter would wear compared to her mother can be noticed in photographs from the era. Often the mother’s dress would fall below the length of her daughter’s despite the significant difference in height, as a 1931 family photograph shows (figure 1). Older girls would wear similar dresses to their mothers and this practice continued until the 1950s with the evolution of teenage fashions.uch shorter hemline, which was customary before the Second World War. >
During World War II (1939-45) era, Britain rationed clothing. Most women wore skirts at or near knee-length, with simply-cut blouses or shirts and square-shouldered jackets, and their daughters often wore hand me downs from either from their older sisters as they grew out of their clothes. Rationing made new clothing scare and it was necessary to “make do and mend”. Just like how a wartime teenage boy might have to remain in short trousers until he was 16 as opposed to 13 due to wartime shortages, a teenage girl may have to make do with dresses and skirts above the knee. Many schools also relaxed their uniform requirements as supplies were not always available, or opened their own second hand shops so uniform items from leavers could be reissued.
The post war period brought an unprecedented era of economic growth and social change. Rock and Roll with the associated fashions influenced youth culture and mass produced affordable “off the peg clothing” was available. Young girls still tended to wear conservative outfits that mimicked older women’s fashions (with shorter hemlines for the youngest), but teenagers fortunate enough to receive generous pocket money allowances could afford the latest fashions. However, being fashionable at school remained impossible for most girls. Many of the new grammar schools established in the 1944 Butler Education Act were no longer constrained by war time restrictions and could adopt strict uniform requirements. Trousers for girls were virtually unheard of, with gymslips and pinafores common for many secondary school girls, although it was usual for sixth formers to be allowed to wear more grown up skirts. It was also customary to see headwear typically with berets in the winter and boaters in the summer (worn with summer dresses).
The 1960s brought a new dimension with the advent of the mini skirt. Many young women and girls felt liberated with this new look. Conservative people and institutions looked on this new trend with distain. Schools started to impose rules that stipulated the hem line of a girl’s skirt, and teaching staff would impose checks and try their best to police the situation. Methods used by schools could include being made to kneel on the floor to check if the skirt touched it, or be marked on the leg with chalk where the skirt should fall to. Apart from a few years in the late 1970s, when long skirts were fashionable, schools and parents have often been in battle with girls who want to wear their skirts short. Teenage girls will often roll their skirts up when they have left the house, despite the threat of detentions and other sanctions from the school.
Girls were wearing trousers with increasing regularity outside school, and schools from the 1970s onwards were beginning to allow girls to wear them largely as a result of pressure from women’s lib campaigns. By the 1990s the majority of state schools in the UK allowed girls to wear trousers although a large number did not including maintained (church) schools. There was an increasing amount of debate on the subject as many girls were not happy that they had to wear skirts and dresses especially in cold weather, or they were self-conscious about their appearance. A raft of anti-discriminatory legislation had come into being from the 1970s including the Equal Opportunities Act, which created the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Parliament passed the Human Rights Act in 1998. It was under the Human Rights Act and supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission that University Professor Claire Hale took legal action against the School when they refused permission to allow her daughter, Jo Hale, to wear trousers in June 1999. Whickham School was forced to concede the matter before it went before Gateshead County Court to avoid costly legal proceedings. Claire Hale said “this disadvantages girls on the grounds of cost, comfort, freedom of movement and protection against assault”. Many other schools have now changed their uniform policies in the light of this case, either fearing prosecuting, or more liberal establishments embracing the spirit of the Human Rights Act. Very few state schools restrict the wearing of trousers to boys, and some have even made trousers compulsory by banning skirts. Many of the reasons in Claire Hale’s statement have been used to explain their decision, and schools have found it an easy method of preventing girls shortening their skirts. Kesgrave High School near Ipswich, Suffolk was the first in 2004 and has since been followed by others.
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