American Vintage Fauntleroy Suit: Velvet Kilt Suit


Figure 1.-- Here we see another Fauntleroy kilt suit. This one is black. It has the classic small cut-away jacket with a matching kilt skirt. The jacket could be worn with either the kilt-skirt or kneepants. The jacket attaches at the top to expose a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. Here the outfit is not shown with a blouse, but perhaps an undershirt that might have been worn under the blouse. Click on the image for a back view.

Here we see another Fauntleroy kilt suit. This one is black. It has the classic small cut-away jacket with a matching kilt skirt. The jacket could be worn with either the kilt-skirt or kneepants. The jacket attaches at the top to expose a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. Here the outfit is not, however, shown with a blouse, but perhaps an undershirt that might have been worn under the blouse. The kilt is done with a parallel row of buttons, a poplar style for these kilted suits. I'm bot sure why this button style was so popular. It may have been designed to show that the skirt was a kilt and not a girl's skirt. Of course actual Highland kilts did not have these buttons.

Kilt Suits

Here we see another Fauntleroy kilt suit. It has the classic small cut-away juvenile jacket with a matching kilt skirt. Kilt suits normally had larger jackets. The small cut away jacket is distinctive for Fauntleroy suits. The jacket could be worn with either the kilt-skirt or kneepants.

Color

This kilt suit is done in black. Most kilt suits were done in colored material , often with a muted plaid weave. Suits like this done in black or dark colors like burgandy or forrest green were almost certainly done as Fauntleroy suits.

Material

The suit here is done in jet-black cotton velvet.

Cut-away Jacket

The small cut-away jacket attaches at the top with a hook & eye. This exposes a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. These jackets were a juvenile style which appeared about the mid-19th century. They were often worn with vests and a shirt with a small collar. The Fauntleroy jacket here would have been worn with a fancy Fauntleroy blouse that would have been exppsed at the collar, front, and waist.

Undershirt

Here the outfit is not shown with a fancy Fauntleroy blouse that almost certainly would have been worn with it. We believe that the cream garment shown with it is an undershirt. It was probably worn under a fancy blouse. The suit here is shown with a shirt that had ivory wool blouse with 14 mother-of pearl buttons down the front. All hand-made button holes. Inner cambric tunic for underblouse attached to skirt. Blouse and skirt button together and little middy collar on the shirt. As mentioned above, we believe this is an undershirt. We have never seen a portrait showing a boy wearing a shirt like this a Fauntleroy suit. What confuses us is the collar. We have not noted undershirts with a collar like this. Even so, we think this is and undershirt which buttoned on the kilt skirt. The boy would have worn a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. As the shirt here buttoned in to the skirt, the Fauntleroy blouse would have had a drawstring tie at the waist.

Kilt Skirt

The kilt is done with a parallel row of buttons, a poplar style for these kilted suits. I'm bot sure why this button style was so popular. It may have been designed to show that the skirt was a kilt and not a girl's skirt. Of course actual Highland kilts did not have these buttons. Skirt is open at bottom, like a true skirt, there are no inner trousers. Skirt has 10 fancy brass buttons on pleats. Girls wore skirts in the 19th century. They did not wear skirts with the buttons done in this fashion. We note boys wearing refular skirts, but we do not notice girls wearing skirts detasiled like the kilt-skirt here.

Kilt Support Arrangement

The undeshirt here was worn not only for warmth, but also to hold up the kilt skirt. The period portaits normally do not show how the kilt-skirts of the kilt suit wassuspended. I though some might have suspenders. This is difficult to verify because the waist arrangement are covered up by vests and blouses. I uspose the suspenders might have been worn under blouses. I am not sure about this. Here we see exactly how this kilt-skirt was suspended. It clearly buttoned on to the undershirt. We suspect this child also wore a decice like a suspender waist to hold up long stockings.

Measurements

The measurements, in inches: 31" Total length, both pieces, Blouse-16.5"long, 15" long, sleeve, 30"Chest, and 25"Waist. Skirt-14"long, 26"Waist.

Age

I'm not sure about the sizing, but I would guess it is for a young boy, not a toddler, aged 6 years. Perhaps a HBC reader has a better estimate.









HBC




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Created: 6:35 PM 12/9/2005
Last updated: 8:16 PM 12/9/2005