Short Pants

I was in a rather quirky museum this Sunday and I crossed paths with a super-traditional Catholic family that had four young boys, all of whom were wearing short pants (in addition to being impeccably dressed and coiffed). It was quite amusing. I'd heard of this phenomenon before but had never seen it in the flesh.

Does anyone know if this is still common anywhere? And incidentally, when do children in these sorts of families get the right to wear long pants? Did any of you have to wear short pants growing up? I felt kind of bad for the kids given that it was about 3 degrees (celsius) outside.

Originally Posted by holymadness

Click to expand...

Did any of you have to wear short pants growing up?

I felt kind of bad for the kids given that it was about 3 degrees (celsius) outside.

I wore short pants (often Lederhosen) until I was about 8 or 10. Of course, growing up in So Calif this wasn't much of a hardship.

At school till eleven years old it was shorts, shirt, blazer, v-neck and tie. In the winter term we could wear trousers for a limited time, but either side of it was quite cold. Traditionally here at school young boys wore shorts pretty much all year round.
That is becoming less and less common, but my little brother wore shorts at school most of the year till eleven as well, and that was only a few years ago.

At my (catholic) secundary school (12-18yrs) this rule existed for the girls. Except between All Saints Day (nov 1st) and Easter, skirts were mandatory

My father wore short pants to school in a mining town in the UP in the 1930's. At about the age of twelve concerned adults talked to my grandparents about how their decision was causing much undue ridicule especially considering how the country was in a depression. Shortly there after the banker's son and my dad began wearing overalls and long pants. Thus the end of Buster Brown looking children in the Northwoods and the triumph of flannel!

My mom and dad bought me a suit with short pants. I hated it.

May someone with historical knowledge explain the reason that young men wore shorts?

Was it to compensate for the fact they they grow like weeds and would thus constantly need new longer trousers?

Musà e de la Chasse et de la Nature, I'm guessing? Great place. Unless they were coming from rehearsals of The Sound of Music.

I see children wearing those little knickerbockers around the Eglise de la Madeleine on a Sunday morning. That double-breasted coat with velvet collar, shorts for boys and kilts for girls is quite a nice traditional look for French children, but unfortunate once the kids are older than four or five.

Bonpoint used to sell the costume, but Bonpoint is thought of as too nouveau or WAG these days.

Originally Posted by JayJay

Click to expand...

My mom and dad bought me a suit with short pants. I hated it.

Did you sell it to someone who used to be on this forvm?


- B

Originally Posted by ColumbiaKai

Click to expand...

I wore short pants (often Lederhosen) until I was about 8 or 10. Of course, growing up in So Calif this wasn't much of a hardship.
Yes, I hear the California Bavarians are a welcoming group.

Originally Posted by youngscientist

Click to expand...

At school till eleven years old it was shorts, shirt, blazer, v-neck and tie. In the winter term we could wear trousers for a limited time, but either side of it was quite cold. Traditionally here at school young boys wore shorts pretty much all year round. That is becoming less and less common, but my little brother wore shorts at school most of the year till eleven as well, and that was only a few years ago.
Incredibly bizarre. Was it used as some sort of signaling device, i.e. to indicate that they aren't yet considered men?

Originally Posted by M.D.

Click to expand...

At my (catholic) secundary school (12-18yrs) this rule existed for the girls. Except between All Saints Day (nov 1st) and Easter, skirts were mandatory
Well, we all know why that is.

Originally Posted by Master Squirrel

Click to expand...

My father wore short pants to school in a mining town in the UP in the 1930's. At about the age of twelve concerned adults talked to my grandparents about how their decision was causing much undue ridicule especially considering how the country was in a depression. Shortly there after the banker's son and my dad began wearing overalls and long pants. Thus the end of Buster Brown looking children in the Northwoods and the triumph of flannel!
This sounds like a SW&D fairy fable. Long live the workwear aesthetic, down with the MC gheyz.

Originally Posted by luftvier

Click to expand...

May someone with historical knowledge explain the reason that young men wore shorts? Was it to compensate for the fact they they grow like weeds and would thus constantly need new longer trousers?
This would seem to be the logical reason, though if it's the case I'm not sure why the practice isn't enforced until the end of puberty. I think it must also constitute a kind of uniform.

Originally Posted by HHD

Click to expand...

MusÃ

e de la Chasse et de la Nature, I'm guessing? Great place. Unless they were coming from rehearsals of The Sound of Music. I see children wearing those little knickerbockers around the Eglise de la Madeleine on a Sunday morning. That double-breasted coat with velvet collar, shorts for boys and kilts for girls is quite a nice traditional look for French children, but unfortunate once the kids are older than four or five. Bonpoint used to sell the costume, but Bonpoint is thought of as too nouveau or WAG these days.
Trop fort, monsieur. Although I suppose it helps that I can't think of another truly wacky museum in the city. Do you know any more of the history behind the costume in a regional context? As far as I can tell, it's just tradi bourgeois rather than bobo.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Click to expand...

Did you sell it to someone who used to be on this forvm?


- B

If I had to pick the likeliest SF member to have worn short pants growing up, it would be you.

, on the other hand, was of necessity dressed in twice as long pants growing up (figuratively speaking).

Tradi bourgeois as you say: I don't know whether it differs from region to region. It's rarer now than it was even a decade ago as most bcbg families dress their children in the international scruffy preppy look now. It might be different in the few remaining strongholds of the traditional Catholic families in St Cloud or Passy. Bobos are more east/north Paris and I think it would be considered a faux pas to make your kids wear old-fashioned coats and knickers in those neighbourhoods. My daughter inherited a navy coat with velvet collar and buttons last year and at least one parent at our school remarked that we were grooming her for the Hitler Youth. I think some bobos are touchy about anything that might give away their own impeccably haute bourgeois roots! After all, this is a city where this advertisement was criticised as reactionary, racist and "neoliberal."

Funny, I just addressed this in the "First Suit" thread. I believe that I had several dress suits with short pants as a very little boy. It was quite customary back in the '40s when I was a kid. I think usually when little boys reached the age of seven they started wearing long pants.

Even more curious was the custom in the latter part of the 19th century of dressing very little boys like little girls--in dresses and with long hair. Happened to my grandfather, and in his autobiography the well known-gunwriter Elmer Keith has a picture of himself in a dress with long hair.

Originally Posted by holymadness

Click to expand...

If I had to pick the likeliest SF member to have worn short pants growing up, it would be you.

Yes, I did have short pants suits, but by age 7 I was in an Apocalypse Now type of enviroment.

Back to cuties:




- B

holymadness said:

I was in a rather quirky museum this Sunday and I crossed paths with a super-traditional Catholic family that had four young boys, all of whom were wearing short pants (in addition to being impeccably dressed and coiffed). It was quite amusing. I'd heard of this phenomenon before but had never seen it in the flesh.

Does anyone know if this is still common anywhere? And incidentally, when do children in these sorts of families get the right to wear long pants? Did any of you have to wear short pants growing up?

I felt kind of bad for the kids given that it was about 3 degrees (celsius) outside.

Click to expand...

Rather,i'd ask when these boys would lose their rights to wear shorts?To wear shorts is a privilege,one u wont get anymore once u are an adult working or attending formal functions.If i were a boy there i'd hope to hold on to my rights to shorts as long as possible,to keep comfortable in hot weather or when running is needed,and when its cold i just have to improvise with some warm stockings.Besides,im sure most parents have winter pants reserved in the wardrobes if it were really so cold that every part of the body need to be covered.