110 Objects Archive
School Tie
The School uniform has changed many times over the last century. Boys in the beginning only remember khaki shorts and white shirts. For Chapel on Sunday, they wore a grey wool jacket, long pants and an Eton collar with tie. The 1918 School Prospectus – the earliest one in the Archives – does not include a clothing list, but the 1919 Prospectus does, which includes mention of a “School tie,” to be purchased at the School. Early photos are in black and white, so we can only see that the tie has a wide stripe, and we assume it is like our first samples, with stripes of black and gold as seen in the above photo. This basic design continued until the mid-1990s with varied widths of stripes, and of the tie itself, over time. The use of grey flannel jackets and pants for formal photos and occasions continued for many decades.
The “Number One” uniform, a military term used to distinguish between a soldier’s most formal uniform and other, more casual uniforms, was adopted at Shawnigan in the mid-1960s. This consisted of a navy blue blazer over a white dress shirt and tie, worn with grey pants. When girls entered the School in September 1988, they wore a collarless blazer over a white dress shirt – and no tie – with a kilt. After one year, at the girls’ suggestion, this was replaced with a collared blazer, and a School tie was added. Today, girls may choose to wear grey pants instead of the kilt. The Number One uniform has been worn for Number One Room Inspections once a week, Chapel, formal photos, special occasions, and travel to-and-from the School. Eventually, wearing it for travel was no longer required, much to the students’ relief!
In 1994, a new School tie was introduced. It was navy blue with a pattern of small Shawnigan Lake School crests. In 2019, the Number One uniform was altered significantly by replacing navy blue with black blazers to better reflect the School colours of black and gold. A registered Shawnigan kilt in black and gold plaid was designed, and, naturally, the School tie was changed to black, as seen in the above photo.
When students are not wearing their Number Ones, they wear “Classroom Dress.” Over the years, this has varied, and with each season, there are slight alterations, especially in sock colour and shoe type. Since 2019, the main garments are grey pants and black and gold kilts, worn with black, white, grey or gold polo shirts and sweaters. Ties have never been part of Classroom Dress.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
In 1994, a new School tie was introduced. It was navy blue with a pattern of small Shawnigan Lake School crests. In 2019, the Number One uniform was altered significantly by replacing navy blue with black blazers to better reflect the School colours of black and gold. A registered Shawnigan kilt in black and gold plaid was designed, and, naturally, the School tie was changed to black, as seen in the above photo.
When students are not wearing their Number Ones, they wear “Classroom Dress.” Over the years, this has varied, and with each season, there are slight alterations, especially in sock colour and shoe type. Since 2019, the main garments are grey pants and black and gold kilts, worn with black, white, grey or gold polo shirts and sweaters. Ties have never been part of Classroom Dress.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
