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We continue to see boys wearing sailor suits in the aelhy-20th century. The sailor suit appears to have been the most popular outfit for boys by the 1890s and this popularity contunued in the 1900s and early 1910s. Sailor suits do not, however, appear as popular in England as in many other countries. Which is interesting given the importance and prestige of the Royal Navy. The sailor suit was a mainstay for the royal family. Sailor suits seem to have been particularly popular for boy ubnil age 8 when boys from affluent fanilies would be sent to boarding schools. These boys thus began wearing their school uniforms and more mature suits. We see boys at a few prep schools without uniforms wearibg them. On their summer vacations, however, they mightwear sailor suits on outings to beach resorts. The suits were worn with a variety of pants but by the 1910s, short pants were becoming increasingly common. I believe the long pants were considered more formal. We are less sure about how common they were for working-class boys. We do see younger boys wearing them in state schools. Sailor suits continued to worn to some extent after World War I, but a major change ocurred in the inte-War era. The sailor suit was no longer a major style for boys. We arebnot sure why this change ocurred. We do not see a simikar shift in France and Germany, but we notice a similar shidt in America, although not to the same extent. The sailor suit for what ever reassons were, however, not nearly as common as before the War. In addition, they were increasingly worn by younger boys. It was rare to see an English boy older than 8 or 9 years of age wearing a sailor suit. This was in part because boys from affluent families generally began their preparatory schools at age 8. Most boys once they began wearing their school uniforms, no longer wanted to wear sailor suits which they looked on as only suitable for little boys. Most of the images we have found from the inter-War era come from the 1920s, especially the early-20s. We see very few examples from the 30s. We no longer see the sailor suit being worn by Engish boys, except for spcialm occassions. Younger boys Boys might wear sailor suits for special occassions, such as wedings. Here we are primarily talking about society weddings where people dressed to then nines.
The sailor suit appears to have been the most popular outfit for boys by the 1890s and this popularity contunued in the 1900s and early 1910s. Sailor suits do not, however, appear as popular in England as in many other countries. Which is interesting given the importance and prestige of the Royal Navy. The sailor suit was a mainstay for the royal family. Sailor suits seem to have been particularly popular for boys until about age 8 years when boys from affluent fanilies would be sent to boarding schools. These boys thus began wearing their school uniforms and more mature suits. We see boys at a few prep schools without uniforms wearibg them. On their summer vacations, however, they mightwear sailor suits on outings to beach resorts.
We see younger boys wearing sailor suits in state schools. A good example is the National and Bluecoat School, Hallgate in 1914. Sailor suits were worn with a variety of pants but by the 1910s, knee pants were making the transition to short pants and becoming increasingly common. WE believe the long pants were considered more formal. We are less sure about how common they were for working-class boys. Many of the portraits we have found look like boys from comfortable middle-class or well-to-dio fasmilies. Most of the examples continue to be younger boys up to about 10-years of age. We do not see the older boys and teenagers commonly wearing sailor suits as we see on the continent, especially France and Germany. This was because boys from well to-do-families began private school at about 8 years of age. They began wearing school uniforms and not sailor suits and they played a major role in setting fashion trends.
Sailor suits continued to beworn to some extent after World War I, but a major change ocurred in the inter-War era. The sailor suit was no longer a major style for boys. We are not sure why this change occurred. We do not see a similar shift in France and Germany. In fact the sailor suiy continued to be extemelyh popular in those countries. We do notice a similar shift in America, although not to the same extent. The sailor suit for what ever reassons were, however, not nearly as common as before the War. In addition, they were increasingly worn by younger boys. It was rare to see an English boy older than 8 or 9 years of age wearing a sailor suit. This was in part because boys from affluent families generally began their preparatory schools at age 8. And the sailor suit from the beginning was especially popular with middle-class families. Most boys once they began wearing their school uniforms, no longer wanted to wear sailor suits which they looked on as only suitable for little boys. Most of the images we have found from the inter-War era come from the 1920s, especially the early-20s. This is a littkle difficult to measure as many of the images wee have archived are undated. We can rather comfortably date these images to the decade, but getting to the precise year is impossible.
We see far fewer English boys waring sailor suits in the 1930s, especiall among school age boys. We are not entirely sure why tyhis was. We see the same pattern in America, but not on the Continent, especiallin France and Germany for which we have a substsntial archive.
The sailor suit had largely disappeared as a garment worn by school ase boys. We have a fairly detailed archive monitoring the evacution of school children which began with the outbreak of World War II (September 1939). Very rarely do we see a British boy wearing a sailor suit.
We no longer see the sailor suit being worn by Engish boys, except for spcialm occassions. Younger boys Boys might wear sailor suits for special occassions, such as wedings. Here we are primarily talking about society weddings where people dressed to then nines.
We continue to see younger boys wearing sailor suits for special occassions Pribe William, for example wore a traditional white sailor suit complete with a wide-brimmed sailor hat for his Uncle Andrew's wedding to Sarah Fergusson in 1986.
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