Figure 1.-- These two brothers in a cabinent portrait wear plaid dresses with large lace collars. The photographer was Berget in Warren, Michigan. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1880s. Put your cursor on the image for a full view.

There were quite a variety of patterns used for dresses. One of the patterns we tend to note for boy dresses is plaid. We assume this was popular for boys because plid was the pattern used for the kilts worn by Scottsmen and Queen Victoria had helped make the kilt a boys garment. It was the kiltsuit that became an especially popular boys' garment. We are not sure about the colors used, but believe they were mostly bright red shades. Girls also wore plaid, but it seems more common for boys. At least we have found many more images of boys wearing plaid dresses than girls. (Here we are assessing the dresses worn by younger children because there were far few older boys wearing dresses.) We do not yet have much information on other patterns, but we have noted numerous portraits of boys wearing plaid dresses. Here the connection with plaid kilts worn by men and boys presumably was a factor. Interestingly the plaid used for dresses could be quite bright patterns. The plaids commonly used for kilt suits, however, were mormally dark muted plaids. Plaid was not the only pattern used for dresses. We note quite a variety of patterns. One pattern was geometric shapes. We are not always sure what these patterns should be called. Reader insights here would be helpful.

Geometric Shapes

One pattern was geometric shapes. This of course covers quite a wide range of possible patterns. We do not see this pattern very commonly, but we have found a few examples. As far as we know, these geometric pattern dresses wee also worn by girls. We think this was a gender-neutral pattern, but we are not yet positive.

Plaid

One of the patterns we tend to note for boy dresses is plaid. We assume this was popular for boys because plaid was the pattern used for the kilts worn by Scottsmen and Queen Victoria had helped make the kilt a boys garment. It was the kiltsuit that became an especially popular boys' garment. We are not sure about the colors used, but believe they were mostly bright red shades. Girls also wore plaid, but it seems more common for boys. At least we have found many more images of boys wearing plaid dresses than girls. (Here we are assessing the dresses worn by younger children because there were far few older boys wearing dresses.) We do not yet have much information on other patterns, but we have noted numerous portraits of boys wearing plaid dresses. Here the connection with plaid kilts worn by men and boys presumably was a factor. Interestingly the plaid used for dresses could be quite bright patterns. The plaids commonly used for kilt suits, however, were mormally dark muted plaids. We notice both dresses done in plaid and dresses in which plaid material is used as trim. Okaid trip was also sometimes used on caps.

Checks

Checks or checkerboard is a fashion pattern of stripes crossing horizontally and vertically which form tidy squares and repeated endlessly. The typical check consists of two colors, normally chosen for contrast--here white is often used. Red and black are the two colors most commonly used. Each square is known as a checker, meaning a square within the check pattern. It is surrounded on all four sides by a checker of a different colour. The British term is chequer. Tartan is a complicated variation, often with more than two colors. Check fashion has no definite origin, The pattern has existed in various forms with multiple variations in many different cultures chronologicl periods. It has been used for both genders, but seems more popular for boys' and men;s cliyhing. We also see it used for caos, shirts, jackets vests, and pants. Boys' check shirts are the most common. We virtually never see check blouses for girls.

Suit Patterns

We notice dresses being done in the same patterns as those being used for boys' suiting fabrics. We see many bold patterns. Thius was especially true for kilt suits, but we also see boys wearing dresses with these patterns. Not all boys's suits had these bold patterns, but in the second half of the 19th centyry they were very popular. In many cases the patterns were muted, but bold patterns were very common. This seems to be espcially true in the 1870s and 80s, although we are still assessing suit pattern trends. While common for boys, these patterns were not commonly used for guirl's dresses. This at the time they would have been seen as boy dresses. Girls tend to have fabric without such nold patterns, but commonly fancier decoration. There were as far as we know no written rules on this. But based on the photographix record thet appear to ne conventions that were very commonly followed. It is one more indicator that allow us to assess who nis who in these old photographs where the individuals are not identified.

Other Patterns

Plaid was not the only pattern used for dresses. We note quite a variety of patterns. We are not always sure what these patterns should be called. Reader insights here would be helpful.

Created: 8:06 PM 11/10/2007
Last updated: 11:16 PM 11/15/2020