Figure 1.--This American boy wears a classic middy blouse with short pants. It looks to be a light-colored, but not white, summer sailor suit. The image was probably taken in the late 1920s. Note the large scarfe. |
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American boys have worn a variety of garments with sailor styling. Most of the garnments worn in Britain were also worn in America. The classic middy blouse was the standard pull-over shirt-like garmet, although on the 19th century many buttoned up the front. Reefer jackets were also common during the winter. A range of pants incliding bell bottoms, knee pants, knickers, and short pants were also worn. Short pants sailor suits were less common in America than in Europe. Interestingly, some sailor suits were available in long pants at times in which younger boys rarely wore long trousers. The types of pants varied over time. Kneepants were popular in the late 19th-century. Short pants became more common in the 1920s, but sailor suits also began to be worn by increasingly younger boys. There were also other items sych as hats and caps as wll as coats, scarves, dickies, and other items. Boys have also worn a variety of stockings and socks as well as shoes and sandals.
The sailor suit is one of the most popular styles for boys over a very long period of time. American boys have worn several different types of sailor suits. There are a vast variation in styling, but the actual number of different suit types are more limited. Sailor suits consisted of blouses or jackets worn with different types of pants, or skirted garments for younger boys. The most common was probably the standard sailor (pull-over) blouse. We also note blouses that buttoned up. Much less common were open-front sailor jackets. I am not entirely sure what the proper names are for these various types of sailor suits.
American boys have worn a variety of garments with sailor styling. Sailor outfits for many years were some of the most popular garments for boys. Most of the garnments worn in Britain were also worn in America. Often the garments were worn as suits. Two garments, however, were often worn separately, especially sailor hats and sailor blouses. Sailor hats and other headwear were worn with a variety of outfits. Sailor blouses were also worn with a vriety of clothes, often not matching pants making a suit. Reefer jackets were another item that was worn with both sailor suits as well as other outfits.
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