Boys' Sailor Dresses and Kilts


Figure 1.--This little boy in a turn of the century image wears a sailor dress and not a middy blouse with a kilt-skirt. He looks to be weatring curls, but short ones well above the shoulders.

Boys outfitted in sailor-style dresses or kilts had a variety of hair styles. The styles varied over time and from country to country. American boys wearing these skirted sailor suits were more likely to be kept in curls than those outfitted in knee pants sailor suits. This was not always the case, however, as shown by the boy in figure 1 who while still in a sailor-style dress has a short, boyish hair cut. It was sinply up to the disgression of the mother, and nothing much was thought of the matter. Mother rather much had free reign before her son began school, longer if he was schooled at home. British boys would usually have their hair cut by the age of 8 years as by the 1880s this was becoming the accepted age to begin preparatory boarding schools. This age was less fixed in America and France where mothers were less likekly to send such young boys to boarding school. While there are examples of boys knee pants sailor suits sometimes still in curls, it was not the common practice. Long hair and curls for boys became increasingly popular for boys in the 18880s, in part because of the Fautleroy caze. Many boys wearing sailor dresses and even sailor suits in the late 19th and early 20th Century were kept in long curls. It appears, however, that based on the images I have seen that boys in sailor dresses and suits were somewhat less likely to have curls than boys wearing other popular outfits, especially sailor suits. I'd be interested in any insights on this observation by HBC visitors.


Figure 2.--This boy in the photograph probably taken in the 1870s wears a dress incorporating a "v" shaped sailor, but none of the more boyish features of the sailor kilt suits. Despite the dress he has a short hair cut, a good example of the variations in combinations of clothing and haircuts.

Variety of Hair Styles

Boys outfitted in sailor-style dresses or kilts had a variety of hair styles. These styles spanned the gammet of very short styles to very plain styles like ringlet curls.

Short hair

There was no widely accepted convention aabout the age that boys should be breeched or whether it should occur before or after his hairs was cut. This wwas up to the boys parents, usually the mother--although the father might step in if the mother delayed the process too long. As a result many boys wjo wore sailor dresses and kilt/skirts wore them with short hair often associated with older boys.

Bangs

Bangs were part of many ringlet curl hairdos, but bangs as a style of their own were most common in the early 20th century and often worn with tunic uits--including sailor tunics.

Long uncurled hair

French bous often wore their sailor dressses and kilt/skirts with long uncurled hair. This was less common in America.

Ringlet curls

Boys in skirted sailor outfits, especially in America, often wore them with ringlet curls. The chronology of these garments closely parallel that of the popularity of ringlet curls for boys.


Figure 3.--This 3-year old American boy was photographed in 1890. His name, John was inscribed on the back of the photograph. He still has curls, but not long hair like some boys his age. He wears a middyblouse with a skirt rather than a sailor dress. Notice the piping around the sailor collar and bow tied in an un-sailor fashion. Also notice his wide-brimmed straw sailor hat. His mother wanted it in the photograph, but did not want him to wear it as it would hide his curls.

Variety of Skirted Sailor Outfits

The skirted sailor outfits were developed after the sailor suit per se. Mothers liked the style so much they did not want to delay buying sailor garments until their sons were breeched. As a result, the boys wearing these skirted sailor garments exhibit a great variety of hair styles. Boys wore three basic types of skirted sailor outfits: dresses, kilt/skirts, and tunics. The boys involved wore many different hair styles with these various outfits--the trends varied over time and among countries.

Sailor dresses

Long hair was of course most common with sailor dresses as they were generally worn by the youngest children. However because there were no set conventiions, even some younger boys still in dresses might have short hair like the older boys.

Sailor kilts/skirts

The sailor kilt/skirt was seen by many mothers as a transition from little boy dresses and the the trousers that their sons woukld soon be wearing. As a result, hair styles reflected this transitional period. The variety of hair styles was affected by the lack of consensus among American mothers as to whether their son should be breeched first or his long hair cut first. This was certainly the case in America. HBC knows less about European trends.

Sailor tunics

The sailor tunic was especially popular at the turn of the 20th century, especially in the 1900s and 1910s. At this time the popularity of long k\hair, either uncurled as in France or curled as in America was declining. Some boys wore their tunics with long hair, but shorter off the shoulder styles, such as bangs with hair at ear level were very popular.

National Trends

The hair styles worn with skirted hair styles varied over time and from country to country.


Figure 4.--This boy wears a white sailor kilt or tunic with ringlets. Notice how the collar falls over his shoulders. His brother who is only slightly older wears a kneepants suit with large Eton collar. One sister wears numerous hairbows. Click on the image for a view of the family.

America

American boys wearing these skirted sailor suits were more likely to be kept in curls than those outfitted in knee pants sailor suits. This was not always the case, however, as shown by the boy in figure 1 who while still in a sailor-style dress has a short, boyish hair cut. It was sinply up to the disgression of the mother, and nothing much was thought of the matter. Mother rather much had free reign before her son began school, longer if he was schooled at home.

England

English boys would usually have their hair cut by the age of 8 years as by the 1880s this was becoming the accepted age to begin preparatory boarding schools.

France

French boys appear to have worn long hair even more commonly than American boys. French boys are very commonly worn with their sailor dressses and kilt/skirts. The French style, however, was long uncurled hair. The riblets common in America were much less popular in France. The age of boys wearing skirted garments and long hair was less fixed in America and France where mothers were less likekly to send such young boys to boarding school.

Germany

HBC has little information on Germany, but believes that longer hair styles weere less common tyhere than in France and Germany.

Italy

HBC as for other topics has no information on Italy.


Figure 5.--This boy in a sailor dress wears ringlet curls. Notice the large size of the "v" collar amd the ruffles addes around his neck. Also notice the horizontal stripes, a popular stylistic element, on the skirt.

Chronology

While there are examples of boys knee pants sailor suits sometimes still in curls, it was not the common practice. Long hair and curls for boys became increasingly popular for boys in the 18880s, in part because of the Fautleroy caze. Many boys wearing sailor dresses and even sailor suits in the late 19th and early 20th Century were kept in long curls.

1870s


1880s

Ringlet curls in America became very popular in America for younger boys wearing a variety of clothing--including skirted sailor outfits. The publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy was a major factor here. Ringlets were worn by boys before the book was published, but the book helped to popularize it. Available images, however, substantiate that not all boys wore these ringlets with skirted sailor garments, many boys even during the peak of the Fauntleroy craze had quite short hair cuts.


Figure 6.--This boy in 1888 appears to be wearing a sailor dress with a short hair cut. The dress has a rather small sailor collar. Note the front buttons. There looks to be a little ruffled work around his neck. He has what looks to be rounded peaked cap--rather unusual head gear for a boy who had not yet been breeched.

1890s


1900s


1910s

Long hair including ringlet curls declined substantially in popularity during the 1910s, especially during and after World War I (1914-18). Bangs were popular, especially with tunics-including sailor tunics.

Conventions

It appears, however, that based on the American images I have seen that American boys in sailor dresses and suits were somewhat less likely to have curls than boys wearing other popular outfits, especially sailor suits. I'd be interested in any insights on this observation by HBC visitors. HBC has much less information on European trends.

Perhaps the more important factior expaining the variety of hair styles is to how much a boy was aware with how other boys wore their hair or were dressed. Today boys know at an early age how other boys are dressed. Children by 2 years of age are avidly watching television. Children also begin day care at an early age. They see how other boys are dressed. HBC is not sure at what age this affects the hair sdtyles and clothes that they want to wear--but HBC believes that it is a relatively young age. Boys from affluently families in the 19th century and early 20th century had a very different experience. They were reared at home in nurseries and spacious grounds or taken to the park while closely supervised by nannies. As a result, they had very little exposure as tio how other children dressed. Thus it was relatively easy for mother to expose her fashion ideas which it appears varied greatly from family to family.






Christopher Wagner






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Created: October 14, 2000
Last updated: October 14, 2000