Little Lord Fauntleroy Suits: English Styles--Collars

Figure 1.--These brothers in this cabinent card were photographed by R Leakey of Empire Studio, 99 Harrow Road, Paddington (West London). The West End was always rather affluent and clearly these are not cheap clothes the boys are wearing! The younger boy wears a velvet Fauntleroy suit with a ruffled collar. Notice the middle brother wears a large ruffled collar like his younger brother, but a Norfolk suit like his older brother. I'm not sure how to date this iamge, but would guess the 1890s. Notice the stick in the younger boy's hands. This may be a paper windmill (you know the sort - curled over sheets of paper on a spindle on a stick that blows round when it catches the wind) with the windmill part actually lieing face down on the right. Image courtesy of the PH collection.

One of the destinguishing features of a Little Lord Fautleroy suit was an elaborate usually large white collar. The collars often came as separate items, but boys also wore Fauntleroy blouses where the collar was a part of the blouse. The classic collar for a Fauntleroy suit was a lace collar. This was usually a detachavle collar and not part of the blouse. The lace collars came in all kinds of lace and in different sizes and shapes. Lace was, however, expensive so we also see ruffled collars. They could be made much larger for aa fraction of the cost. The younger boys here wear elaborate ruffled collars. We think these were usually part of a blouse. These could be quite large. Ruffled lace collars were also worn. These were vasically ruffled collars with lace trim. We also ee plain white collars without lace or ruffles. The Fauntleroy collars could be worn both with and without bows. These collars could be worn on other kinds of suits as well as Fauntleroy suits. When a boy was given a more mature type of suit, he might wear his Fauntleroy collar with it for a few years, depending on his age. This is what the middle boy here appears to be doing. Notice the middle brother wears a large ruffled collar like his younger brother, but a suit similar to what his older brother is wearing (figure 1).

Types

One of the destinguishing features of a Little Lord Fautleroy suit was an elaborate usually large white collar. There were both pin-on lace collars and fauntlrroy bloses. Unlike Eron collars these were not detachable collars as they were not attached to the shirtwaist. Instead they were pinned on to the suit jacket the boy was wearing. The collars thus often came as separate items, but boys also wore Fauntleroy blouses where the collar was a part of the blouse. Ths was the most common garment in America, but in Britain the pin-on claars seem more common.

Styles

We see a range of Fauntleroy collars worn by English boys. The Fauntleroy suit is aoften associated with lace collars. And this seems to be the case in England. In American where Fauntleroy styling was more common, boys mostly wore the ruffled not lace collars. Lace collars were very common, more common than in America where ruffled collars were the most common. A substantial portion of the images we have found show English boys wearing lace collars, both real lace and cut-out lace.. And these were not standardized collars they were done in a huge variety of shapes and sized. There were also ruffled collars often worn as part of blouses. These were commonly worn woth the classic Fauntleroy cut away velvet jackets. They were not nearly as common as in America. The ruffled collars were normally part of blouses, but there were also pin-on ruffled collars. Thus looks to be the case of the ruffled collars the Paddington boys here have (figure 1). Notice te diffeent sizes. The ruffled collars were more unifirm than the lace collars. There were also ruffled collars with lace trim. There were also large plain collars often done as Peter Oan vollars or Eton styling with pounted collars. .

Lace collars

The Fauntleroy suit is often associated with lace collars. This was usually a detachable collar and not part of the blouse. The lace collars came in all kinds of lace and in different sizes and shapes. We see rounded collars as well as in many other shapes such as stars, rays, cascades. clusrers and much more. True lace is hand woven, not mass produced which is why it is so expensive. And why there so many different styles. The cost of course limited its use to the well-to-do. There was one exception--cut-out lace. This actually was not lace, but an inexpensive item that gave somewhat the appearance of lace. Our impression is that lace collars were more common in Britain at least in relative terms. Lace collars were often worm with collar-buttoning jackets rather than a cut-way jacket that was common with Fauntleroy blouses that were often done with large ruffled collars. `

Ruffled collars

We also see ruffled collars. They could be made much larger for aa fraction of the cost. The younger boys here wear elaborate ruffled collars. We think these were usually part of a blouse. These could be quite large.

Ruffled lace collars

Ruffled lace collars were also worn. These were vasically ruffled collars with lace trim.

Plain white collars

We also see plain white collars without lace or ruffles. These also could be quite large. We see various designs, including both rounded Peter Pan coolrs and collars with pointed tips.

Bows

The Fauntleroy collars could be worn both with and without bows. We noyice more English boys wearing Faintlrroy collars without bows than was the case in America.

Usage

These collars could be worn on other kinds of suits as well as Fauntleroy suits. When a boy was given a more mature type of suit, he might wear his Fauntleroy collar with it for a few years, depending on his age. This is what the middle boy here appears to be doing. Notice the middle brother wears a large ruffled collar like his younger brother, but a suit similar to what his older brother is wearing (figure 1).

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing other related pages:
[Dresses] [Breeching] [Kilts] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Sailor Hats] [Blouses]
[Ring Bearers] [Long hair] [Ringlet curls] [Hair bows] [Bangs] [Collars] [Bows]

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[About Us]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: 5:01 AM 10/8/2019
Last updated: 5:02 AM 10/8/2019