Figure 1.--These Itlalian children in 1888-89 wear blue smocks with white collars. The boys and girls in the class wear the same style and color of smock. The only difference is the little bow ties, pink for the girls and red and blue for the boys.

HBC has no information on the color of school smocks Italian children wore in the 19th century. We note both light and dark smocks in the early 20th century. Dark blue smocks appear to have been especially prevalent in the mid-20th century. We have also noted royal blue and light blue smocks. Blue as far as we can tell has been the most common color. The colors are now much more diverse. It is all up to the school, but brighter lighter colors are now common as are patterns such as checks or gingham. Some schools have different colors for boys and girls. Others have boys and girls wearing the same color smocks. Trends here have varied over time, but we do not have enough chronological information to fully understand this. Girls and younger boys commonly wore light-collored smocks in the late-20th century, although it is not uncommon at coed schools for both boys and girls to wear the same color smocks. Some schools, however, continued to require the dark blue smocks even in the late 20th century.

Chronology

HBC does not yet have details on chronological trends in school smock colors. We have begun to collect some information. We have no information on school smocks Italian children may have worn in the 19th century. Thus we have no color information. We have found. information on the 20th century. We do not yet have any ingormation on the early-20th centuyy, but we begin to see smocks after World War I. We only begin to see large numbrrs of smocks by the 1930s. We see dark smocks with white colors. We are not sure about the color. Part of the problem here of course is that there was no color photofraphy. We note both light and dark smocks in the early 20th century. We thought they might be nsvy blue, but an Italian reader tells us that the standard smock was black. Here we are taking sbout state schools. The colors of smocjks at provate schools is more varied. There does not seem to have been a widely excepted gender difference. We see both boys and girls wearing the blsck smocks, but we see some vgirls wearing white smocks. We do not yet have any information on the 1940s. Black and white smocks appear to have been especially prevalent in the mid-20th century. A reader tells us, "We see all the children wearing smocks at a school near Bologna. This is about the situation I knew in the same decade near Milan. The girls wore white smocks with pink bows and the boys wore black smocks with blue bows." We see some exceptions like the light-colored smocks worn at the Noha school in 1965. By the 1970s we begin to see more variety. We have also noted royal blue and light blue smocks. Black seems to have gone out of style. Blue as far as we can tell has been the most common color. Smocks are now not nearly as common, but they hsve not disappeared. The colors are now much more diverse. Trends here have varied over time, but we do not have enough chrological information to fully understand this. Another chronolgical trend has been in the late 20th century for girls and younger children to increasingly wear light-collored smocks, although it is not uncommon at coed schools for both boys and girls to wear the same color smocks. Some schools, however, continued to require the dark blue smocksthst look like the old blasck snocks, even in the late-20th century.

Prevalent Colors

The bost common color seems to be blue. After blue there is no other dominant color that we have noted.

Range of Colors

We have noted Italian school children wearing snocks in a wide range of colors. For many years, black was the standard color. Both boys and girls eore vblsack smocks. Gradually while became more common for the girls. Thius continued until the 1970s when blue done in various shades becane by far the most common color. This was true through most of the 20th century. More different colors appeared by the 1980s, but blue continues to be the most common. Not only are there several different colors of smovks worn, but there are also many shades--especially shades of blue. There seems to be a virtually endless range of blue shades. Especially in recent years the range of blue shades has become much more varied. Schools that let the children chose their own smocks have an especially wide range of smocks colors. We have noted white and pink smocks, but other colors especially bright colors are much less common. In recent years there has been a trend toward ligther colors and to an extent brighter colors.

Patterns

Most Italian children wear solid-colored smocks. A few children wear patterns such as checks or gingham. This is, however much less common than was the case in France.

Gender Trends

Blue smocks are especially common for the boys the boys, but girls also wear them.

School Gender Regulations

Schools vary on their approach to school smock color and gender. For the most part the school chooses the smock color. Some schools allow the chioldren to choose the color. Many schools set a color for the smock. Some schools have all the chilkdren wear the same color of school smock. Other schools have different colors for the boys and girls. Blue is the most common for boys. The girls wear a wider range of colors.

Younger Children

arlier both younger and older children wore the same colored smocks. After about 1980 we begin to note more varied colors being worn especilly by the younger children. They seem to more comminly wear lighter and brighter colors.

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[The 1890s] [The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s]
[The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s]

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Return to the Main Italian school smock page]
[Return to the Main Italian school page]
[Return to the Main smocks page]
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[Ring bearer/page costumes] [Pinafores] [Shortalls]

Created: August 20, 2003
Last updated: 1:04 AM 1/19/2021