Figure 1.--American boys still commonly wore long stockings in the ealy 1920s both for play an dress occassions with both knee pants and knickers.

There were major changes in long stockings worn by American boys during the inter-war years. The common color of the stockings changed from black to lighter colors. The length of long stockings also changed significantly in the inter-war years. The weight of the stockings alo changed. The long stockings commonly worn by boys in the early 20th century, including the ealy 1920s tended to be very bulky and not very well fitted. This began to change significantly in the 1920s and much more form fitted less bulky long stockings began to be worn. Colors also changed. Black had been the primary color in the 1920s, but beige and other brown shades became increasingly common in the 1930s. Long stockings were still very common in the 920s, but the popularity declined sharpy during the 1930s. And we note older boys wearing them less commonly.

The 1920s

Long stockings in the early 1920s tended to be similar to those worn in earlier decades. They tended to be relatively short, often only just a little above the knee. As they were designed to be worn with kneepamts or knickers, they did not have to rise much above the knee. They were also usually a bit thicker and quite ribbed in texture. Of course rayon was not an option during these earlier times. Dark stockings were more prevalent in the early 1920s, although white was available for girls and dressy wear for boys. As boys began wearing short pants and girls shorter skirts, much longer stockings appeared. Stockings also were primarily made in cotton by the late 1920s and wool stockings were no longer commonly available. Colors began to change in the mid-1920s with lighter colored browns and tans becoming more common.

The 1930s

Long stockings in the 1930s were made to longer lengths so they could be worn with the shorter short pants boys were wearing. Early long stockings were made to keneepants or knickers length. They were also being made in the lighter weights and made more trim fitting style that mothers seemed to think looked better with short pants. The advertisments began to addrss the wrinkle problem. Given the lighter weight they were probably not as effective as cold weather wear as before. In addition lighter colors, especially tans became increasingly popular. We see some boys wearing white stockings, but almost always for special occassions. Advertisments picture both boys and girls wearing them. We also note photographs confirming that both boys and girls wore them. A HBC reader writes, "Here is a 'minority commment' or somewhat 'differing analysis'. What I find slightly surprising is that there seems to have been a resurgence in the popularity of long stockings for both boys and girls in America from about 1935 to 1945 and then an almost instantaneous shift away from them. I deduce this from the prominence of advertisements for both long stockings and the hose supporters required to be worn with them in American mail order catalogs 1935 to 1945. It is also notable that boy models are shown for both products during this period and, for the hose supporters, boys are somewhat favored as models over girls. In various places HBC suggests that the popularity of long stockings for boys declined during the 1920s as short pants began to replace knee pants and that this decline continued during the 1930s as knickers became the standard wear for nearly all boys but the very young. I don't dispute this claim at all. But it is also clear from the notable surge in advertising that a minority of boys still wore long stockings with either shorts or knickers during the 1930s and early 1940s; and from about 1937 to 1944 the wearing of long stockings with short pants seems to have made a brief come-back only to disappear almost completely thereafter. I have no idea why this happened unless European influences as a result of the War had some effect. In both Germany and Japan, boys continued to wear long stockings with short pants throughout the war and afterwards, although in the late 1950s the long stockings were often replaced by tights. HBC suggests (I think mistakenly) that boys may have worn long stockings under long trousers (as certainly happened sometimes in Germany) but that the advertisers showed images of boys in shorts and long stockings as a more effective way to display the stockings. Sears is, and was, a very style-sensitive retailer and would not, in my opinion, have showed boys wearing stockings with shorts if buyers were not adopting this practice. They seem even to have been promoting it as a fashionable way to dress boys even if the boys themselves might not like it very much. In my experience, most boys from the colder climates who had graduated to long trousers in the late 1930s and 1940s wore long underwear (usually union suits) rather than long stockings. Why fuss with garters and waists when ordinary long underwear would offer the same protection with less bother and greater convenience? I think the American boys who wore long stockings during this period did so because their mothers believed in their sons continuing to wear short pants and wanted their sons not only to have protected knees but also to present a more formal and dressy appearance. The boys who wore long stockings with knickers--even with knickers that fastened below the knee--were dressed by mothers who wanted their sons to wear plain-colored stockings that stayed up rather than the alternative patterned, more sporty-looking knee socks that were always falling down." Clothing catalog provide some useful information on trends during the 1930s. A good example is the Sears 1931 catalog. Boys might wear long stockings for forml occassions, but many younger adoescents wanted to wear kneesocks. A good example is a cofirmation in 1932.

Early 1940s (1940-45)

HBC has few actual images of American boys wearing long stockings in the 1940s. We note that the big mail order companies continued offering long stockings for both boys and girls. We have noted Sears ads in 1941 and 1943 and presume that there were similar ads in other years. These ads offered them long stockings for boys and girls in two grades with sizes 6-10 years. The colors included tans, browns, and whites. We know that these stockings were being bought, otherwise Sears and Wards would not continue handling them. What is less clear is how thd companies know that mothers wer buying them for both girls and boys. We suspect that more were being bought for girls, but we have no information to conform this. We note that the better grade of stockings was made in white along with tan and brown. HBC suspects that the hite stockings were purchased more for girls than boys.

Created: 11:31 PM 10/20/20065
Last updated: 7:05 PM 3/25/2010