Figure 1.-- |
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Boys clothing has been made in a wide variety of fabrics. Aristocratic boys once wore fabrics such as brocades that we would today consider totaly unsuitavle for boys. Some such as denim have been used for play and casual clothes. Others such a velvet have been made for elegant party suits. Other fabrics such as flannel, serge, cheviot, corderoy and many others have been used for a wide variety of different garments. Quite a variety of other fabrics, sometimes quite expensice such as cashmere, camelhair, and satin have been used for expensive boyswear. Some fabrics were once quite popular, such as chambray, cheviot, duck, and serge were once very commonly used for boys clothing, but now rarely seen. In recent years clothing has moved from formal styles to more utilitarian clothing and thus the hard wearing durable fabrics like denim and corderoy have become increasingly important. One particularly luxurious fabrics sometimes used for outfits to be worn by younger boys is velvet. Many fabrics have interesting modern historical stories denim and chino. Other fabrics date back many centuries if not milenia. Cashmere, camelgair, and silk were staples of the freat caravan trade. Some of the most important fabrics used in boys clothing has included the following.
The term " Bedford cloth " is sometimes used to describe corduroy. The term is used because large quantities of corduroy was manufactured in Bedford England. Corduroy was one of the many fabrics developed by the English cotton goods industry which was at the center of the Industrial Revolution. A related term commonly used in Germany and the Netherlands is " Manchester Cloth ". Manchester was an even more important center of corduroy production.
A fabric widely used in France after World War II (1939-45), especially after 1955, was "tissu boussac". ("Tissu" means fabric in French. It was a cotton material, but not-printed. Boussac was according to a French source a "self-colored" fabric. I'm not sure what that means, perhaps solid colored. I'm also not sure about the English translation. It was used in all sorts of clothing.
Brocade is a fabric woven with an elaborate raised design. Fine brocades often included gold or silver threads. Brocades were commonly used for quality men clothes, especially coats, during the 18th Century. At the time the same styles were used for both adults and
boys.
Calico reportedly got its name from the Indian port of Calcutta, a major port for trade with Europe. Cloth shipped to England was called Calicut-cloth and eventually Calico-cloth. It was at first a general name for all kinds of cotton cloth imported from India and other Asian locationms. Some of the imported Indian fabric was died with bright clors. Calico in England is now used primarily for plain white unprinted cotton cloth, bleached or unbleached. In the United States, however, it usually means a printed cotton cloth that is coarser than muslin.
Camelhair comes from the two humped Bactrian Camel in central Asia.During the winter the camel grows a long thick coat which by spring has formed into clumps of wool that hang from the camels body. By early summer these clumps have fallen to the ground and are collected by caravans and carefully graded. The longer, coarser hairs are used for weaving and only the fine underhair is selected for fine carments like sweaters.
Cashmere is a twill weave wool worsted fabric which began to be used for suits in the late 18th Century. It is derived from Kashmir goats. Cashmere is currently a disputed province between Pakistan and India. It was used for better boys' suits during the late 19th Century. Cashmere is of the rarest and most expensive fibres known to man. It is combed from the soft underfleece of the Cashmere Goat, which lives in the mountains of Central China. Each animal yields only 4 oz per annually. The finest fleeces comes form those animals living at the highest altitude where the temperatures are coldest. We suspect that many fabrics identified as Cashmere was actually cheaper fabrics. We note different spellinfs were often used.
We note adds at the turn of the 20th century for boys suits made out of cassimere. We are not sure at this time just what cassimere was. Sears tells us that it was a fabric that was part wool, but we have no other details at this time. Because it sounds like Cashmere, we think it was an effort to make a less expensive fabric sound like expensive Cashmere. At the time there were no consumer protection laws protecting the public from misleading advertisement.
Chambray is a fine cloth of cotton, silk, or linnen, commonly of plain weave with a colored warp and a white weft. The first references are note around 1805-15.
Chambray is an American term, the fabric is commonly referred to as cambric in England.
Cheviot is a British breed of sheep noted for its heavt fleece of mediem length. It was used to produce a woolen fabric in a course twill weave. It was widely used for boys' suits and coats in the late 19th and early 20th Century. It also refers to cotton fabrics used for shirts beginning in the early 19th Century. The term is derived from the Cheviot Hills on the border of England and Scotland. This was an area of considerable fighting. The Cheviot Hills were celebrated in the Ballad of Chevy Chase.
A chinchilla is a small South American rodent living in rocky burrows in the Andes (Bolivia, Peru, and Chile). The rodents were domesticated for their silver gray fur. It is a very coistly fur. The term is also used for a coat fabric with a curly nap. We believe that the boys' coats described as chinchilla may not have been true chinchilla, but rather wool with a curly nap. True chinchilkla would have been relatively expensive, but we can not be sure if it was used in any specific garment. Thus while chinchilla appears to refer to a material, it is probably used more, in reference to boys' garments, to indicate a weave--fabric with a curly nap.
Chino cloth was a dueaable chinese fabreic used for pants and to a lesser extent shirts. Chinos were military issue pants. The British khakis found their way into China where they were duplicated and sold to American soldiers in the Philippines for uniforms. (The Philippines were a former Spanish colony and the Spanish word for Chinese is "Chino") Chino fabric is most commonly a twill fabric, do not have to be. Any firm cotton weave can be used. Chino pants are most commonly a khaki color. The military style had no pleats and was tapered at the leg bottom to conserve fabric. When soldiers returned to civilian life from World War II they continued to wear their military chinos especially to college. Many boys from the 1950s and 60s especially rember wearing "chinos". One reader reports, "I had one pair of Chinos that I just wore to death."
Corduroy is often said to be a French fabric, litterly fabric of the king. It was daid to be originally used as livery for the king's hunting attendants. This does not appear to be the case. Corduroy seems to have developed in England, although it dod become popular in France. It was originally comsidered to be roughwear for working men. Corduroy became a popular childrens fabric in the 1920s because of its warmth
and durability. American boys commonly wore cord knickers and British boys cord shorts. It was eclipsed by denim in the 1950s, but is still
commonly used for children's clothing.
HBC has noted this fabric in adverisements for turn of the century garments. Few details, however, are available on the fabric. It is a plain weave fabric of rough, irregular, or lumpy yarns.
A french reader has suggeste adding crêpe de Chine (Chinese crepe) on the list of materials. I'm not sure about the English translation. It came both printed and plain and was used for boys' dress clothing.
Dacron is an American trademarked synthetic polyester textile fiber.
Damask is a term used for a fabric made from a wide variety of fibers, including linen, silk, rayon, cotton, synthetics, wool, and worsteds. The classic definition is a rich silk fabric woven with often elaborate designs and figures, frequently in a variety of colors. Damask was originally made of silk, which originally came from China through Arab traders. One of the most important Arab cities was Damascus and thus became known in Euope as "damask". Italian traver, Marco Polo, in the 13th century descibed the fabric. Damask is one of the oldest and most popular older materials still in use today. Weavers are able to make very beautiful and elaborate designs. Damask cloth is beetled, calendared, and the better qualities are gross-bleached. It is a very durable, hard wearing silk fiber. Damask can worn reversible. It is known for shedding dirt. The firmer the texture of damsk fabric, the better the quality. Damsk launders well and holds a high lustre--particularly when made in linen. Damsk was initially used as a clothing fabric. Today it is used more commonly as a table cloth. It was never used specifically to make boys clothes, but during the era in which garments were made of damask, boys afterbreeching wore clothes much like their fathers. Thus boys from affluent families might wear damask garments.
No fabric has assumed more importance in a boy's wardrobe during the second half of the 20th century than cotton denim. The origin of denim is a truly international story involving the French, English, Italians, Germans, and Americans with the California Gold Rush of 1849 thrown in. The primary garment was of course jeans, but denim has come to be used for caps, shirts, jackets, and many other garments. Most jeans were long pants, but cutoff shorts were worn in America and jean shorts were worn in Europe. Now bibfront overalls in both long and short pants
versions are popular.
Douffle is a course, thick woolen material which owes its name to the Flemish (Belgian) town where it was made--Duffel in Brabant,
between Antwerp and Mechlin. It was a coarse woollen cloth having a thick nap or frieze. HBC has noted references to "duffel" as early as the 18th century. The primary boys's garment is of course the duffle coat--a garment first adopted by the British Royal Navy in the late-19th century and made with fabric imprted from Flanders. After Word War II the duffle coat became very popular with children, especially boys.
A French reader has suggested adding draps piqués to the material list. Hecsays thatit was a white material wudely used for boy' wear. HBC is not sure about the translation.
Drill is a strong twilled, usually cotton, fabric. It was widely used for "chinos" in America. The most popular color was khaki, but other colors were also used. They were mostly long pants, but cotton drill
was also used for shortbpants as well.
HBC has noted this fabric in adverisements for turn of the century garments. Few details, however, are available on the fabric. It is a heavy, plain weave cotton fabric for tents, clothing, bags, etc. Slacks and trousers especially were made of duck.
An fabric is one which has been made elastic (capable of returing to its own length or shape after being streached). This is normally done by adding strips of rubber. Elastic appeared in the early 19th century. It was invented by Thomas Hancock. Hancock was an English inventor who was the moving force in founded the British rubber industry. All rubber at the time was natural rubber harvested in tropical countries. Hancock in 1820 obtained a patent for elastic fastenings. He used them for for gloves, suspenders, shoes, and stockings. He also invented a machine he called the masticator. After he began producing elastic fabrics he found that in in cutting rubber he was wasting large quantities of the expensive imported raw material. The mastucar allowed him to use the scaraps from the manufacturing process. The masticaror shredded rubber scraps. The rubber could then be recycled. We notice elastic being used for suspenders and pants waistbands and eventually the tops of kneesocks. One common use of elastic today is in pants waistbands. This was not nearly as common in the 19th and early 20th century. We aret sure at this time just why this was.
Flannel is a soft, slightly napped fabric made of wool or wool blends. It is used for trousers, jackets, shirts, underwear, and other garments. Cotton flannel is a lighter version napped on one side is commonly used for sleepwear and sheets. Flannel became a
popular material for men's blazers and trousers in the late 19th Century. British school boys by the 1920s commonly dressed in flannel blazers and short pants. American boys would commonly have a blue blazer and grey slacks in there wardobe in the 1950s, younger boys might wear shorts instead of long pants with their blue blazers. Flannel trousers and shorts declined in popularity in the 1950s as polyester belends that did not require ironing to keep a crease became increasingly popular. They have not, however, completely disappeared.
One theory postulates that the name "fustian" was derived from Fostat, the name of a suburb of Cairo where cloth was manufactured. Fustian was once a coarse cloth made of cotton and flax. It now is used for a sturdy or thick, twilled, cotton cloth with a short pile or nap, often dyed in an olive, leaden, or other dark color. The term has often been used for any of a variety of thick twilled cotton fabrics with a short nap. The most common of these fabrics is corduroy. For some reason, another meaning for the term is Pretentious or pompous speech or writing.
Gaberdines or gabardines were originally a long, loose coat or frock for men worn in
the Middle Ages, especially by Jews. In modern usage gaberdin overcoats were commonly worn by men and boys. Many British private schools perscribed a particular style of gaberdine raincoat to be worn over their school uniform.
HBC has noted this fabric in adverisements for many turn of the century garments. We have so far collected very little information on it. Galeta appears to have been a popular, but moderately priced cotton material. Galeta was a durable fabric and for that reason commonly used in children's clothing. It was often, but not always a striped fabric. Galatea is, however, a figure in Greek mythology. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. suggests that the fabric was named after the HMS
Galatea, a 19th-century English warship. Apparntly the connection was that galeta was commonly used for children's sailor suits.
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Gingham is a plain-woven fabric, initially made exclusively of cotton fabric. The strongm seviceable nature of the fabric makes its ideal for children's summer clothing. It has been worn more by girls than boys, but French and other European boys did wear gingham smocks in the first half of the 20th century. Some of the bows worn by boys in the late 19th century appear to have been made of gingham fabric.
HBC has noted this fabric in adverisements for turn of the century garments. No details, however, are available on the fabric. Holland was a cotton cloth with an opaque finish, often used for window shades.
A reader tells us about Indian Head cloth, a trade-marked fabric sold in America during the early 20th century. Our reader reports that Indian Head was "a superior muslin with a linen texture". [Kiplinger] An company advertisement in 1916 claimed, "More Clothes for Less Money. Indian Head cloth costs one third as much as linen, doesn't wrinkle easily and keeps clean an unusually long time." The manufacuturer was Amory, Browne & Co. in Boston, Massachusetts. We notice Tom Sawyer wash suits done in Indian Cloth advertized in 1924.
Khaki uniforms originally started with the British empire at it's height during it's colonization in the late 19th century. It originally came from India when it was realized that when cotton was mixed with a substance (?) from India, a material could be made that was durable and comfortable to wear in countries that had temperate climates and could be worn in winter and summer with ease. The material was made to be several gauges heavier
than cotton but it was comfortable and durable to wear in a harsh enviroment such as bushveld. It also became ideal for military uniforms due to it's durability and being light at the same time--hence the name 'Khaki Uniform'. Khaki's were usually brown in colour but green was also extensively used for military dress and was used worldwide. Although intially an adult military fabric, as is so often the case, khaki became very important in boys' clothing.
Lace is not a fabric, but I'm not sure yet precisely how to link the lace page currently under construction. Lace was heavily used during the 17th Century by Caviliers in England and nobility on the continent. It was not considered a child's adornment, but used by adults and children. Lace in the 19th Century was extensively used by women and girls and for boys party suits, especially from 1880-1910.
Only the first clip of wool from the baby lamb can be termed lambswool. Lambswool has many outstanding qualities such as softness, resilience, drape and warmth. A wool fabric acts as an insulating medium preventing a quick escape of bodyheat. This is due to thousands of tiny air pockets trapped in the yarn because the crimpy resilient fibres stand away from each other, and the fibre itself being protein does not transmit heat quickly. A further benefit is that wool will absorb moisture without leaving the wearer uncomfortable.
Leather is not a fabric, but we will archive it here for organizational simplicity. Leather is the skin of animal with the hair removed and prepared by tanning or other comparable process preserving it and making it supple and pliable when dry. Leather is used used for gloves, shoes, leggings, luggage, and lederhosen. The most common leather is made from cattle, but other kinds exist. Sheep or lambskin, for example is called nappa.
Linen is the fabric woven from flax yars. One of the earlist plants used in the manufacture of clothing is flax. The flax plant is associate with the dawn of civilization where is was cultivated as a crop for food and fiber. The flax plant was extensuvely used for the production of linen in Egypt and other ancient civilizations and is still used today. The production and use of linen was significantly affcted by Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793.
HBC has noted this fabric in adverisements for turn of the century garments. No details, however, are available on the fabric.
Lycra is a sunthetic fabric which was riginally developed as a replacement for rubber, LYCRA® is remarkable for its ability to stretch up to six times its original length--and then amazingly snap back to its starting size with no loss to its spring. Every day in every country, LYCRA® lends those properties to every fabric and garment in which it's used. A touch of LYCRA® is the solution, adding comfort and freedom of movement and improving the fit, shape retention, drape and wrinkle resistance of the apparel. It has proven to be especially useful in bike shorts and sunsuits, perhaps more popular in Australia than many other countries.
Kiplinger, Joan. E-mail message, May 13, 2008. Ms. Kiplinger is writing on history of Indian Head cloth and its mill owners.
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