Italian Smocks


Figure 1.--The smock in Italy seems to have been primarily a school garment. We do notice, however, a few images of younger boys wearing smocks at home, although not after the early 1950s. We believe this family snap shot was taken in the late 1940s.

Smocks were commonly worn by Italian school children. This was the case in several European ountries. The colors varied some what, but the style usually included a large white collar and colorful bow. Quite a number of Italian schoolchildren, boys and girls still wear them. Many schools have different colors or styles for the boys and girls. Other schools have boys and girls in identical colors and styles. Smocks with wide white collars and floppy bows were especially popular in Italy. Often the girls continue to wear back buttoning smocks while boys wear front buttoning ones. Some schools, however, continue to have both boys and girls wear the back buttoning ones. Virtually all Italian children once wore school smocks, but their popularity has declined in recent years. While smocks were very common for schools, biys seem to have taken thm oddas soon asthey came home. We see relatively few boys in the photographic record wearing smocks except for school. We have found a few examples, but not very many. And many of the examples we have found, at least for the 20th century were pre-school boys. We are not yet sure about the 19th century.

Popularity

Smocks appear to have been very popular in Italy, at least as a school garment. Until the 1970s virtually all Italian children wore them to school and many children wore them after school. We have less information as to how commonly they were worn at home. While smocks were very common for schools, biys seem to have taken thm oddas soon asthey came home. We see relatively few boys in the photographic record wearing smocks except for school. We have found a few examples, but not very many. And many of the examples we have found, at least for the 20th century were pre-school boys. We are not yet sure about the 19th century. We do notice, however, a few images of younger boys wearing smocks at home, although not after the early 1950s. We believe this family snap shot was taken in the late 1940s (figure 1).

Termininology

In Italian "smock" translates as "grembiule". A "school smock" would be "grembiule della scuola".

Styles

One of the most popular styles for school smocks for boys was a blue smock with a large white collar and colorful bow. Somocks were mostly back-buttoning, but front buttoning smocks for school have become more common in recent years.

Colors

Italian children have worn a wide varity of colored smocks. Blue was particularly common for boys' school smocks.

Chronology

HBC at this time has very little information on the chronology of Italian smocks, at least smocks other than school smmocks. The coming of the Third Republic had a major impact on smocks in France when they were required as schoolwear in the 1870s. HBC does not know if there was any similar event in Italy. Italian unification was made possible by the same event that brought the French Third Republic to power, the Franco-German War of 1870. Reverses in the War forced the French to withdraw their forces from Papal territory, enabling the unification of Italy under King Victor Emanuel I in 1871. HBC does not, however, if Government action mandated school smocks as was the case in France. We know next to nothing about the 19th century. We have fund one portrait from the 1870s of a Milan boy wearing a smock wiuth a jaunty sailor hat, we think in the 1870s. It was a short smock and does not seem very likely to protect the boy's knee pants. This suggest that the garment was designed more for style than functionality. Our Italian archive is very limited for the 19th century, so we are unable ro seal with any thu. We know much more about the 1870s, but the photographic record mostly school school smocks. We see very few boys wearing smocks other than for school. This is a good indicatiin that they were not common in the 20th century as we have a substantial.

Convention

HBC does not know how commony Italian boys wore smocks other than at school.

School Smocks

Smocks were also commonly worn by Italian school children. Quite a number of Italian schoolchildren, boys and girls still wear them. Many schools have different colors or styles for the boys and girls. Other schools have boys and girls in identical colors and styles. Smocks with wide white collars and floppy bows were especially popular in Italy. Often the girls continue to wear back buttoning smocks while boys wear front buttoning ones. Some schools, however, continue to have both boys and girls wear the back buttoning ones. Virtually all Italian children once wore school smocks, but their popularity has declined in recent years.






HBC






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Created: December 27, 2000
Last updated: 3:10 AM 4/14/2014