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While few American boys in the 19th Century wore proper Scottish kilts with Highland regalia, many more boys wore the kilt suits that were popular in the late 19th Century. While Higland kilts were most popular with families that had Scottish conections, there does not seem to have been any relationship between kilt suits and Scotland. Mothers of many varied ethnic backgrounds chose klit suits for their boys. These suits were only worn by boys.
We are just beginning to build a chronology of the kilt suits worn by American boys. I am not sure when the kilt suit first appeared in America. We do not note them in the 1850s and 60s, although we note a frew boys wearing what look like plaid tunics, especially in the 1850s. We do not note kilt suits in the 1860s. At the time dresses seemed more common for younger boys. The kilt suit does not appear to have been commonly worn until the 1870s. We note American boys wearing them very commonly in the 1880s. It was through the 1890s one of the most popular outfits for younger boys. Kilt suits were still worn after the turn of the century in the 1900s, but much less common in the 1910s. The age conventions changed slightly over time. We think the time line was similar to Britain, but may have appeared in America a few years later than Britain.
HBC had intially assumed that the kiltsuit originated in Britain as did most Amnerican boys' fashions. HBC has, however, been unable to find any indication that kiltsuits were worn in either England or Scotland. Thus the kiltsuit appears to have been a home grown fashion. We do not know, however, just who in America created this fashion.
There were a range ofconventions associated with the kilt suit. American mothers used the kilt suit as an intermediate step between dresses and outfits with kneepants, such as Fauntleroy suits and sailor suits. These mothers were not yet ready to fully breech their sons, but felt that they were becoming to old to still wear dresses. By the same token, the kilt suit was an outfit that could be worn by a wider age range han dresses. Thus it was a garment which could be used for dressing boys identically past the age that boys could wear dresses. While Higland kilts were most popular with families that had Scottish conections, there does not seem to have been any relationship between kilt suits and Scotland. Mothers of many varied ethnic backgrounds choose kilt suits for their boys. Being Scottish had nothing to do with kiltsuits. One convention I am not sure about is what else boys wearing suit kilts wore. Was the kilt suit their party outfit? Did they wear kneepants or other outfits like smocks at home for casual wear. This is one question HBC hopes to unearth some information on.
I know the kilt suit was a popular American style. Kilt suits do not appear to have been worn in England or even Scotland. It does not
appear to have been a poopular style on continental Europe, although we still have limited information on France.
Kilt suits were only worn by boys. American girls in the 19th Century wore dresses and not kilt or kilt suits. We have never noted an image of an American girl wearing a kilt suit. As far as we can tell this was adrstinctive garment for younger boys.
Younger boys also wore dressess, but beginning in the 1870s when kilt suits became popular, many boys wore the kilt suits rather than dresses. Most of of our images come from formal studio portraits. What we are unsure about is if the boys wearing these kilt suits also wore dresses. Kilt suits are rather a heavy formal outfit. Presumably the boys involved had lighter more casual outfits for everyday wear and play, especially during the summer. But here we are not yet sure.
There were three major garments associated with kilt suits. Kilt suits were done as both two and three-piece suits. The major garments were the jacket and kilt
and there were a range of variations for these garments. Some suits also came with vests. Boys commonly, but not always wore the jackets. The jackets came in a variety of styles. Early suits came with cut-away jackets. These jackets commonly did not match the kilt-skirt which were commonly done in plaid patterns. We note different styled kilt-skirts. Many were done as long, pleated kilts with a unpleated front pannel. They were a range of other stles, including what look obstensibly like skirts. We klnow less aout the vests as they were normally couvered by the jacket.
Kilt suits were worn with a varietyb of accompanying clothes.
American boys wore Kilt suits were worn with a variety of headwear, both caps and hats. We are not entirely sure about the different varities of headwear worn or their relative importance. Headwear was commonly worn in the 19th century, so most boys would have had a hat or cap worn wih his kilt suit. Part of the reason that our information is incomplete is that outdoor photography was not yet common place and studio portraits commonly do not show the head wear. We have begun to collect some images. Given the time that kilt suits were popular, we suspect that at least some boys wore rounded-crown hats. As sailor styles became more popular, some boys must have worn wide-brimmed sailor hats. Sailor styles were so popular that they were often worn with other stylles than sailor suits. Another option surely were Scotish styles like balmorals and glengarys.
Some suits were worn with vests. Others might have lace and ruffled
trimed blouses. Blouses were necessary with the bodice kilts. The kilts
worn with vests usually had prominent collars, but usually less fancy than those
worn with blouses. The fancy collars were not only worn with kilt suits, but
boys often continued wearing them after being breeched and a kneepants
sit purchased. Of course Fauntleroy suits were worn with large lace collars,
but they were worn with other less fancy suits as well.
The kilt suit was popular at a time when younger boys generally
wore large floppy bows of different colors and patterns. These bows were
not peculiar to kilt suits, but rather commonly worn with Fauntkeroy suits
and other outfits as well.
Kilt suits, unlike Higland kilts, were always worn with long stockings, never with kneesocks. This is certaonly the case in the United States, we are less sure for Britain at the time. This is a little surprising as one reason kilt suits became popular was that they were based on a skirted garment worn by men. Yet we have not yet found a portrait of an American boy wearing a kilt suit with knee socks. We do note a few American boys wearing Highland kilts and they do wear knee socks. But kiltsuits were always worn with long stockings. I am not sure just why these conventiobs were so strong. Normally there is a degree of diversity when large numbers of people were involved. But unlike most popular fasions, these conventiins were very strictly followed. Kilts were mostly worn in the late 19th Century. By this time pantalettes had become much less common for children, especially for boys. While they were still worm as late as the 1890s, they were rarely worn with kilt suits as far as we can tell.
Hair styles varied from short hair to long ringlet curls. Some mothers cut their sons hair while he was still wearing dresses and kilts, but others boys continued wearing curls even after breeching. Not all boys with long hair wore it in ringles, but after the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1886, ringlets became very popular for boys in America.
Kilt suits were a very popular style for younger boys, but for a realtively narrow age range. We have begun to develop some age information. They were typically made for boys from about 3 to 6 years of age. Availavle catalogs provide detaoils as to the ages for which these suits were made. We also have escriptions on portraits. While they were primarily made for pre-school boys, we do see some older boys wearing them. Sometimes boys as old as 7 or 8 might still wear them, perhaps a few boys even older. Many mothers considered a boys size rather than his age to be the determining factor. The age of boys wearing these suits changed somewhat in the 1890s and after the turn-of-the century when kilts suits were going out of style. We see younger boys wearuing them during this period.
Often the boy continued to wear the jacket to his kilt suit, even after he was breeched. Thus the kilt suit was a wise choice for thrify mothers.
Chicago boys: about 1880
Massachessetts boy: about 1890
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