Figure 1.--This Scottish CDV portrait shows two unidentified brothers about 5-8 years old wearing suits knee pants suits. Notice the long-cut of the knee pants. The younger boy wears a plain cut-away jacket with a matching vest. The older boy wears a collar-buttoning jacket with horizontal arrow-like decorations. Iam not dure what you cal them. Notice that they are repeated on the pants. This was a fashion we primarily see in the 1870s. Both boys seem to holding Glengary caps. They also have long stockings and high-top shoes. The studio was D. Noble in Oban.

The basic suit Scottish garments are jackets and pants, also called coats and jackets. This is of course the same in other countries. We notice several different types of both which have varied over time. These styles in Scotland are essentilly the same as we see in England. We have found very little difference in the photographic record. In adition to jackets and pants there are other garments that can also be parts of suits. We sometimes see boys wearing matching caps, but this was not very common. Much more common was headwear that did not match the suit and were purchsed separately. Hats never matched, but caps sometimes didd. A mire common garment was the bests. Vested suits were very common in the 19th century. They were done both to contrast with and to match the suit. The vest declined in popularity in the 20th century, but in the 1970s as suits declined in popuarity we sometimes see boys wearing vests intead of suit jackets.

Headwear

We sometimes see boys wearing matching caps, but this was not very common. Much more common was headwear that did not match the suit and were purchsed separately. Hats never matched, but caps sometimes did. A more common garment was the vests. There were of course popular Scottish headwear called bonnets. They added a Scottih look to the suits, but of course were not actual matching suit garments.

Suit Tops

We notice Scottish boys wearing a variety of suit tops. Our Scottish archive is not as large as our English archive so we cannot be as definitive as with our English assessments. We notice two type of suits with different tops. As the top was the most importnt part of the suit. The name of the suit was often dertermined by the top. We see button-on suits with blouse tops. These were button-on outfits looking rather like one-piece suits. Unlike skeleton suits, the buttons were often hidden by a wide waistband giving the look of a one-piece suit. We see these outfits mostly in a narrow window during the 1860s-70s. More common were the various styles of jacket suits. we see these throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. We see several diidrent styles of jackets. The first decdicated child style was the skeleton suit worn in the warly-19th cetyury. Subsequently we see a wide range of jacket styles. The major styles were collar-buttoning, cut-away, and lapel jackets.

Blouse suits

We see button-on suits with blouse tops. These were button-on outfits looking rather like one-piece suits. Unlike skeleton suits, the buttons were often hidden by a wide waistband giving the look of a one-piece suit. We see these outfits mostly in a narrow window during the 1860s-70s. We have not found many Scottish examples, but this mau redlect are linited Acottish archive more than ctual prevalence. This style was a very popular style in America. We notice a Mofft boy wearing a striped suit. Plainer styles were popular in America. Moffat is located in the Lowlans and this may relect English styles more than sgyles firther north.

Jacket suits

As far as we can tell, Scottish boys wore the same style suits as English boys with the exception of the boys wearing Highland outfits. And even here the difference was not stark in tht some Englih boys wore Highland outfits. The primary difference between Scotland and England is that Scotland was not as affluent as England, but this did not affect the styles worn. We do have a portrait of an Edinburgh boy wearing a Fauntleroy outfit, but with a cape rather than a jacket. We also see Scottish boys wearing sailor suits like the ones worn by English boys. We also notice Scottish boys wearing the same kind of regular suits worn in England. We see cut-away jackets in the mid-19th century. Boys wore both single- and double-breasted jackets. Some boys from well-to-do families wore Fauntleroy suits. Norfolk jackets seem popular in the late-19th cedntury. The jackets seem the same as those worn in England and America. Scottish suits are a little different than the suits worn in America in that knickers pants seem more common than knee pants. Of course when worn with kilts the Scottish connection is clear.

Vests

Vested suits were very common in the 19th century. Except for collar-buttoning jackets, vests were wudely worn with 9th century suits, not only in cotlan but other countries as well. Vests were done both to contrast with and to match the suit. The contrasting vests were common in the mid-19th century, but by the late-19th century, the matching vests had become standard. The vest declined in popularity in the 20th century, but in the 1970s as suits declined in popuarity we sometimes see boys wearing vests intead of suit jackets.

Trousers / Pants

Scottish boys as far as we can tell wore the samne styles of suit pants s the English. The only real difference we hve noted is that some boys wore kilts with pants instead of pants. Here a different jacket was usually worn. The pants we have noted included long pants, knee pants, knickers, and short pants. The popular styles and lengths as well as the age conventions followed the same chronological trends as in England. Here we are just beginning our asesment and may eventually find some differnces. We think the pants were to some extent affected by the schools the boys attended, especially private schools. Boys mostly wore long pants with suits. Except for the younger boys, the primary exception was knickers worn at private boarding schools. Most boys wore long pants suits until the late-19th century. We notice knee pants in the late-19th and early 20th century. Short psnts became standard after World War I and were worn after World war II into the 1950s. After that long pants become increasinly common and were standard by the 1970s. Short pants continued to be worn at some schools, mostly private schools into the 1980s. By this tome, hoeber, suits were being worn much less than earlier in the century. Theshotenened length pants were mostly wirn with long stockings and knee socks.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Kilt pages:
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[Kilt suits] [Scottish kilts] [Scottish school uniform] [Highland dance] [Pipeband]
[Irish kilts] [Irish boys clothing] [Irish step dancing] [Greek kilts]

Created: 9:20 AM 6/16/2011
Last updated: 9:20 AM 6/16/2011