Figure 1.--This is the title page of a Russian ABC book fir 1st graders published in 1962. The flowers the children are carrying are for the teacher on the first day of school. Russian children mostly wore various brown shades of stockings, but grey stockings were also avilable.

We still see some European children wearing long stockings in the 1960s, mostly Russian children.Long stockings disappeared in Western Europe, including West Germany during the late-1950s. We still see them occassionaly in the very early-60s, but we note few examples in the photographic record. Tights replaced them in some countries, but the age and gender conventions varied from country to country. Long stocking, however did not entirely disappear in the 1960s. Long stockings were still worn in Soviet Eastern European satellites and the Soviet Union during the 1960s. This is an example of how Communist societies were slow to respond to consumer deamans and needs. (It also explains why so mny of the state enterprises in those countries soon went out of business after the fall of Communism.) Long stockings were worn by Soviet children until the end of the decade when tights were introduced. We are not sure about Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, and Poland). Their economies were tied to the Soviet Union, but not as isolated. The photographic record is a little difficult to use here. It is not always easy to determine which garment we are dealing with in photographs. And in the case of Germany, destinguishing between Eas and West Herman images is complicated. It was still primarily the neutral shades that were being worn after World War II in the countries where long stockings continued to be worn. We see a 1960 Russian film depicting contemporary schoolboys clothes wearing light brown or tan long stockings.

Western Europe

Long stockings disappeared in Western Europe, including West Germany during the late-1950s. We still see them occassionaly in the very early-60s, but we note few examples in the photographic record. A German boy with Father Christmas in the background, obviously from the western section of the country, wears either beige long stockings or beige tights in 1965. We think stockings more likely than tights although it is difficult to be certain. Tights replaced them in some countries, but the age and gender conventions varied from country to country. We do not yet have much information on Scandinavia, but we believe that the trends generally followed those in West Germnany. We note a few small boys in a school class at Durnten, Switzerland (2 May 1962) wearing beige long stockings or tights, but the style of long stockings for boys had mostly disappeared by this time. We still, however, note girls wearing the beige stockings in Swiss schools.

Eastern Europe

Long stocking, however did not entirely disappear in the 1960s. We still see some Eastern European children wearing long stockings in the 1960s, mostly Russian children. Long stockings were still worn in Soviet Eastern European satellites and the Soviet Union during the 1960s. This is an example of how Communist societies were slow to respond to consumer deamans and needs. (It also explains why so mny of the state enterprises in those countries soon went out of business after the fall of Communism.) Long stockings were worn by Soviet children until the end of the decade when tights were introduced. We see a 1960 Russian film depicting contemporary schoolboys clothes wearing light brown or tan long stockings. We are not sure about Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, and Poland). Their economies were tied to the Soviet Union, but not as isolated. The photographic record is a little difficult to use here. It is not always easy to determine which garment we are dealing with in photographs. We do have some information on East Germany. In the case of Germany, however, destinguishing between East and West German images is complicated. It was still primarily the neutral shades that were being worn after World War II in the countries where long stockings continued to be worn. Among the German examples of beige or tan long stockings is the photo a German bike rider who has stopped by the road temporarily to fasten the hose supporter on his Leibchen. As the setting suggests, he is probably a rural boy from a conservative family. Schoolboys in the DDR continued to wear long stockings. We have the example of an 11-year-old boy playing in a tree, who is pretty clearly wearing tan long stockings (at some point during the 1960s) with the necessary Strapsleibchen and garters to hold them up.