Figure 1.--This German boy in 1931 looks to be sitting on what looks like the balcony of an apartment. He wears a traditional blue sailor suit with long stockings, probably grey stockings. Click on the image for additional information.

German boys wore sailor suits with all sorts of hosiery. We see boys wearing long stockings, knee socks, three-quarter socks, and ankle socks. Some boys went barefoot, but this was less common, in part because the sailor suit was often a boy's best outfit or at least one of his better outfits. The choice of hosiery in part reflected the popular styles at the time, but both climate and formality were also factors. In some families, long stockings were worn seasonally as warm weather clothes. Other parents used long stockings as a kind of standard hosiery. Black stockings like this were sometimes worn for formality. As far as we can tell there was no hosiery especially associated with sailor suits. Rather the hosiery conventions were generalized reflecting the basic trends associated with other garments.

Chronology

Color

Match

We notice the boys wearing hosiery that both matched or contrasted with their sailor suits. As most sailor suits were either dark blue or white, this meant either black/dark blue or white stockings. We see German boys wearing eitherboth the matching or the contrasting color. Black hosiery ehich mtched the fark suits were the most common approach. After World War I, we see more children wearing hosiery that no longer matched the color of their their sailor suits. These were light brown tan tones that became popular, especially for stockings. Grey was also popular, especially for knee socks. Matching hosiery became much less common. We think this was because the tan anf grey hosiery became so common in Germany during the 1920s and 30s. As a result children might not have other colors or idf they did they were sabed for best. We so see children with hosiery that matched their sailor suits, but this was much less common than before World War I. It was more common for formal events.

Types

German boys wore sailor suits with all sorts of hosiery. We see boys wearing long stockings, knee socks, three-quarter socks, and ankle socks. As far as we can tell there was no hosiery especially associated with sailor suits. Rather the hosiery conventions were generalized reflecting the basic trends associated with other garments.

Long Stockings

We note large numbers of boys wearing sailor suits with long stockings. This was especially the case in the 19th century, but we akso see long stockings being worn in the 20th century as well yntil World War II. After the War, German boys dod not commonly wear sailor suits. In some families, long stockings were worn seasonally as warm weather clothes. Other parents used long stockings as a kind of standard hosiery. An example of a boy wearing long stocks is an unidentified German boy, probably in the 1930s. Black stockings like this were sometimes worn for formality. We note both light and dark colred stockings. Some mothers appeared to have tried to match the suit and hosiery, but this was not always the case.

Knee Socks

Three-quarter Socks

Ankle Socks

Barefeet

Some boys went barefoot, but this was less common, in part because the sailor suit was often a boy's best outfit or at leasr one of his better outfits.

Choice

The choice of hosiery in part reflected the popular styles at the time, but both climate and formality were also factors.

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Created: 2:45 AM 8/7/2008
Last updated: 4:53 AM 2/28/2010