Figure 1.--These two French boys, perhaps brothers, wear open work sandals as for sports. One boy wears socks the other does not. Notice two characteristic French looks. One boy has his sweater tucked into his pants with a belt. The other style is cuffing the shorts to make them shorter.

Younger French boys and girls commonly wore strap shoes, primarily with dressy outfits, into the 20th century. I am not sure when boys began to wear closed toe sandals for casual wear. I think probably the 1920s-30s, but this requires additional research. I do know that closed-toe sandals were veing widely worn by French boys by the 1950s, but primarily during the summer. French boys wear classic closed-toe sandals even in the 1990s. They are still advertised in clothing catalogs. One HBC contrinutor notes that "Some of them are certainly older than 10 years. They have the old fashioned thin strap and some are white or worn with white socks."

We have noted sandals referred to as "sandalen" in French magazines. A French HBC contributor indicated the proper term is "sandalette". I'm not sure just when these terms began to appear in French publications.

Early 20th Century (1900-18)

ounger French boys and girls commonly wore <"a href="shoestrap.html">strap shoes, primarily with dressy outfits, into the 20th century. This style c ontinued very popular in the early 20th century. As is the case of many fashion trends, World War I (1914-18) was a major watershed. The formal styles so common in the late 19th and early 20th century began to disappear during the War. The reasons for these changes duting and after World War I are not yet fully understood. It is clear, however, that the War had a major impact on fashion--including boys' fashions. HBC is not yet sure that sandals as a child's style was yet common during this period. The single-bar strap was more of a dress style. HBC believes that sandals with varying numbers of straps did appear in the 1910s.

Inter-war Years and World War II (1919-45)

After World War I, more casual clothing styles began to appear. One of these was the sandals. French boys during the inter-war period began to commonly wear sandals as a casual style of play shoe. The canvas shoes that appeared in America were not popular in France. Boys wore them for play as well as to school. Scouts and cubs are often seen wearing them. They were especially common during the warm summer months. Boys of all ages wore them. Sandals and strap shoes were generally worn by younger boys before World War I. After the War, quite old French boys might wear sandals. In these respect, conventions differed somewhat from trends in England where they were more common for younger boys who might wear them yearround. Most sandals during this period were closed-toe sandals. While the closed-toe style conntinued to dominate sandal styles, many sandals duringbthis period appeared in a more open conrtuction. Rather than looking like a shoe with an open area in front. sandals appeared constructed of multiple straps with open areas in between. A good example is an unidentifued French family in the late-1930s.

Post-war Era (1945-69)

Sandals continued to be widely worn by French boys in the 1940s and 50s. It was very common for boys, especially boys under 10 years of age to wear them. I'm not sure just what French boys thought about them. HBC has the impression that they continued to be fairly popular with boys, at least through the mid-1950s. They became increasingly seen, however, as warm weather casual shoes and by the 1960s were being worn less to school and increasingly by younger boys. Closed toe styles continued to be the dominate style, but by the 1950s, open toe styles were also being worn. THe late 1960s were a critical point in French boys' fashions and European fashions as a whole. The 1968 Paris student riots, initially directed at educational regulations, launched a wider movement of young people objecting to tradition and established traditon. Fashion was one of the many cultural aspects affected. Young people wanted to wear casual, often American styles. The Paris student riots were launched by university and older high school students. but by the 1970s, younger boys were also insisting on jeans and the other casual styles that became a symbol of the movement. This included footwear. Sandals were out and boys wanted to wear tendy sneakers.

Figure 2.--This French boy in the 1990s wears a rather preppy looking button-down shirt with unpreppy looking closed-toe sandals or "T"-strap shoes. This boy wears them without socks.

Late 20th Century (1970-2000)

French boys in the late 20th century, like other European boys, showed a destincr preference for sneakers as opposed to sandals. This was especially true with older French boys. Sandals did not, however, disappear. Many French boys still wore them. They were especially worn during the summer. HBC believes that they were mostly chosen by mothers. Many of the boys probavly would have preferred trendy sneakers, although this needs confirmation from French sources. Both closed toe and open toe sandals were worn--although the closed toe style continued to be the dominate style. French boys wear classic closed-toe sandals even in the 1990s. The closed toe style was especially common with more dressy styles. A French HBC contrubutor reports that closed toe sandals are still commonly advertised in clothing catalogs. One HBC contrinutor notes that "Some of them are certainly older than 10 years. They have the old fashioned thin strap and some are white or worn with white socks."

Created: July 2, 2000
Last updated: 7:49 PM 10/24/2007