Victorian, Edwardian and George 5th U.K.

--- School uniforms in the U.K. ---

1910s to 1930s
From the late 1910s through the 1930s the gymslip was the most common style used as a girls' school uniform in Britain. The gymslip originated in the late 19th century when it was introduced as the name suggests for sports. This kind of dress has a low necked yoke and the skirt-part is sewn in pleats onto the yoke. It often was buttoned on the shoulders. There were various stylistic variations, but the basic desisn was quite similar. Usually the gymslip was worn belted. Gymslips were done in differebt colors, but almost always a dark colour. Under the gymslip girls wore a blouse with different styles of collars. Often a tie was worn. The gymslip was normally worn with long stockings and leather shoes. In the early years the long stockings were of dark colour, probably black. Later we also see lighter colours, probably tan. And in later years we also see knee-length and shorter socks. Apparently at a special age the older school girls "graduated" to simple skirts and blouses. The specific rules and styles varied from school to school.

1910er - 1930er
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Here we see school girls from a public (private secondary) school having a picnic. Note the three girls in their blazer and with tie. The girl on the left wears a boater. This was one of the most common school girl headwear. There is a school badge on the froint of the hat band.
The girls seem to be wearing skirts rather than gymslips. The picture was probably taken in the 1920s or very early 30s. There is no way of dating the uniforms, but the woman's helmet-styled hat helps to date the snapshot. The women on the right does look too grown-up to be a student anymore. Perhaps she was a teacher or a sister of one of the girls.

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1930s to 1950s
Also in later years we see gymslips (up to the 1960s) worn with blouses. Now there were also simple skirts with blouses worn by younger girls (see picture below). Basically the girls wire the same uniform that the boys wear, but with a skirt or dress rather than trousers.

1930er - 1950er
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Note the pin on this girls' pullover. Probably she was a prefect or a head girl. This pictures is a good example how the boys uniforms influenced the uniform for girls. She wears a blouse with a pointed collar, a striped tie, a vee-neck pullover trimmed with decorative lining (highly probably in school colours), a short (probably) grey skirt, knee socks and leather shoes. The only obvious difference to a boys uniform is the skirt.
irls did wear blouses rather than shirts. Often the collars were different, but sometimes look rather like the boys' shirts. This picture may have been taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Many schools had seasonal uniforms for the girls. Often a basic, light-colored dress was worn during the summer. Than during the cooler weather the girls would wear skirts, often grey skirts and wear jumpers and blazers like the boys.

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