H-Bar Suspender Shorts


Figure 1.--A French retailer in 2002 offered these white "H"-bar shorts with the bars only to size 6. Some boys casually wear their shorts over the bars. This was never done in the mid-20th century when the style was more popular. Click on the image for an example.

"H"-bar shorts are a type of suspender shorts with a horizontal piece connecting the vertical suspenders in front. They look rather like lederhosen with halters, but are not made out of leather. Boys' shorts with H-bar suspenders were worn in the early 20th century, but we are not sure when they first appeared. They are still worn today, but are not common. We have more frequently seen in Germany and Eastern Europe, HBC noted French boy wearing them and a major French retailer offered them in 2002. While American boys wore susapender shorts, we have not noted then commonly wearing H-bar shorts. We have also not boted them in Britain. Like suspender shorts, they were a style for younger boys.

Description

"H"-bar shorts are a type od suspender shorts with a horizontal piece connecting the vertical suspenders in front. They look rather like lederhosen with halters, but are not made out of leather.

Suspender Shorts

Suspender shorts without the horizontal bar forming the "H" have been much more common than the "H"-bar shorts. Suspender shorts were short pants held up by suspenders either sewn on the shorts or attached by buttons. The suspenders are not elasticised, but usually made of the same material as the shorts. The shorts themseves were usually cut briefly as the style was mostly for little boys. They were more popular in Europe, especially France and Germany, than in America, but younger boys did war them. The suits for younger boy often had suspender short pants.

Chronology

We note both long and short pants (but not knickers) made with H-bar suspenders, but shorts seem to have been the most common. Boys' shorts with H-bar suspenders were worn in the early 20th century, but we are not sure when they first appeared. We believe that they were worn in the 1920s, but do not yet have any images in our archive. We do notice them in the 1930s. We notice younger German boys in a Christmas image during the 1930s. A good exanple is a German school in Romania during 1930. They were worn in the 1940s, but seem to hve declind in popularity during the 1950s. We notice a boy at a Dutch school in the 1960s. They are still worn today, but are not common.

Countries

We have more frequently seen in Germany and Eastern Europe, We believe that this was a primarily German style that spread into Eastern Eyrope. It may have been originally inspired by Bavarian lederhosen and halters. While lederhosen were a regional style, H-bar shorts seem more widely worn throughout Germany. HBC has noted French boy wearing them and a major French retailer offered them in 2002. The modern French clothes involved seem to have been more botique fassioins than mass-market clothing. While American boys wore suspender shorts, we have not noted then commonly wearing H-bar shorts. We have also not noted them in Britain. There are a numerous images of H-bar shorts archived on HBC. We will grdually link those images here.

Age

Like suspender shorts, they were a style for younger boys. A French retailer in 2002 offered "H"-bar shorts in sizes up to 10, but if I read the ad correctly, the "H"-bar suspenders inly come on the sizes up to 6 years. In the mid-20th century European boys might wear H-bar and suspender shorts up to about 10 years, about the same age range as button-on shorts.

Conventions

Boys normally wore the "H"-bar suspenders over their shirts so that theor shrts were neatly tucked in. Some older bloys might wear their shorts over the "H-bar suspenders, or a jacket or sweater to cober them up.

Long Pants

We believe that there were also "H"-bar long pants, but do not have details.






HBC





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Created: January 23, 2002
Last updated: 7:42 PM 1/21/2006