*** United States boys clothes styles younger boy suits chronology








United States Juvenile Suits/Outfits: Chronology

juvenile boiys suit chronology
Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait shows two unidentified well-dressed boys wearing fashonable outfits. The younger boy wears what might be called an early sailor suit which did not have a V-front. Notice the button-on construction. (The buttons are hidden by the decorative waistband.) There is extensive stripe detailing, but no V-front collar. Notice the stripe detailing continues on to the knee pants. Notice howlong the knee pants are. His older brother wears a vested cut-away jacket. There is no neckwear, but he has a small white collar. Both have narrow-brimmed rounded-crown hats. And they both wear white stockings and high-top shoes. The boys look to be about 5-8 years old. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1870. The studio was in San Franciso.

The suits and dress outfits worn by younger boys varied more chronologiclly than those worn by older boys. And there were many more varied styles than those worn by older boys. We know a great deal about these varied style as result of the invention of photography (1839). We know less about the early-19th century, but the styles of juvenile outfits were limited at the time. We mostly see boys wearing skeleton suits and tunic outfits, at least boys from fashionable families. Mist biys once breeched just wore shirts and trousers rather than suits. Some boys may have worn small editons of their father's suits. Without photography our information is limited. We know much more about trends once photography appeared. At mid-century we see a lot of boys wearing collar buttoning military jackets (1840s-50s). Cut-way jackerts also become popular (1860s). We see a wide range of button-on outfits (1860s). And we see a variety of fancy styles like Zouve (1860s) and sailor suits (1870s). age conventions varied somewhat from family to family. Kilt suits appeared with various jacket styles. The Zouave style was French and the sailor suit British. Boys might wear blouse suits which had a blouse made in suiting material rather than a jacket. Latter the Fauntleroy style appeared (1880s). This was the first destinctly American style. Buster Brown suits and a range of other tunic suits become popular after the turn-of-the Century (1900s). After World War I Oliver Twist suits become popular. And we begin to see juvenile Eton suits (1920s). These suits became the standard younger boy style. We see boys up to about 10-years of age wearing them, but this gradually fell to pre-school ages. They were done with jackets that did not have lapels. While called Eton suits they could be worn with blouses that had Peter Pan as well as Eton collars. This was a style while not unique to America, was mostly seen in America. After the mid-20th century, suits began to go out of style for boys, especially younger boys.

The 18th Century

There were no real juvenile suits in the 18th century until the very end of the century. Younger boys wore dresses like their sisters. Upon breeching hey began to wear small scled-down versions of their dather's suits. The age of breeching varied as did the cloths boys wore after breeching. Here social class was a major factor. This only began to change in the late-19th century when the skeleton suit appered. These suits were worn by older pre-school boys and younger school age boys.

The 19th Century

The suits and dress outfits worn by younger boys varied more chronologically than those worn by older boys. And there were many more varied styles than those worn by older boys. We know a great deal about these varied style as result of the invention of photography (1839). We know less about the early-19th century, but the styles of juvenile outfits were limited at the time. We mostly see boys wearing skeleton suits and tunic outfits, at least boys from fashionable families. Most boys once breeched just wore shirts and trousers rather than suits. Some boys may have worn small editons of their father's suits. Without photography our information is limited. We know much more about trends once photography appeared. At mid-century we see a lot of boys wearing collar buttoning military jackets (1840s-50s). We begin to see shortened-length pants for younger boys, but long pants were still standard even for younger boys. Cut-way jackets also become popular (1860s). We see a wide range of button-on outfits made in many different styles (1860s). And we see a variety of fancy styles like Zouve (1860s), sailor suits, and othe stles with elaborate detailing and embroidery (1870s). Knee pants suits were becoming increasingly popular. Age conventions varied somewhat from family to family. Kilt suits appeared with various jacket styles. The Zouave style was French and the sailor suit British. Boys might wear blouse suits which had a blouse made in suiting material rather than a jacket. Latter the Fauntleroy style appeared (1880s). This was the first destinctly American style. The Fauntleroy sttles would be aajor influence (1880s-90s).

The 20th Century

Buster Brown suits and range of other tunic suits become popular after the turn-of-the Century (1900s). After World War I Oliver Twist suits become popular. Tunics were worn throughout the 19th century, but had declined in popularity during the 1880s. he tunics suits worn in the early-20th century were much more widely worn than 19th century boys. They were worn both for play as well as wehen dressing up. As the tunics and Oliver Twist suits didsappear, boys wear even outfits for younger boys become less varied and more standardized. And we begin to see juvenile Eton suits (1920s). These suits became the standard younger boy style. We see boys up to about 10-years of age wearing these Eton suits, but this gradually fell to pre-school ages. They were done with jackets that did not have lapels. While called Eton suits they could be worn with blouses that had Peter Pan as well as Eton collars. This was a style while not unique to America, was mostly seen in America. After the mid-20th century, suits began to go out of style for boys, especially younger boys. We see boys beginning to wear vests when dressing up rathr than suit jackets (1960s). Vests wee a tyle wirn by both younger and oldr boys, even teenagers. This was part of the generalized trend for informality in dress tht begn in the early-20th century. By the late-20th century many boys grew uo rarely wearing suits. Some boys id not even have one.






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Created: 1:09 AM 10/2/2014
Last updated: 11:39 PM 8/2/2015