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Little Lord Fauntleroy suits outfits consisted of a variety of garments. The most important of course was the jacket and pants. By the time Fauntleroy suits became common, the convention in suits was for the jacket and pants to match. A variety of fabrics were used. Little Lord Fauntleroy suits are generaly associated with plush velvet. Often black, but other colors of velvet were used as well. In fact, the suits were actually made in a wide variety of fabrics. Velvet was most popular for the classic suits, but velvet was an expesive material and thus cost-conscious mothers used many other less expensive and more durable fabrics. The variety of fabrics increased as middle-class mothers copied the fashions of the privlidged classes. Velvet was also a relatively heavy fabric. Thus lighter weight materials were adopoted for warm summer weather. A boy might wear just his blouse in hot weather. But there were jackets done in light-weight fabrics as well. Other lighter-weight materials were used depending on the type of Fauntleroy outfit.
Little Lord Fauntleroy suits outfits consisted of a variety of garments. The most important of course was the jacket and pants. By the time Fauntleroy suits became common, the convention in suits was for the jacket and pants to match. A variety of fabrics were used. Little Lord Fauntleroy suits are generaly associated with plush velvet. The photographic record shows quite a number of boys wearing velvet Fauntleroy suit. Often black, but other colors of velvet were used as well.
Fauntleroy suits were actually made in a wide variety of fabrics. A factor here is that many Fauntleroy suits were not made as store-bought clothes. A mother might but a pattern and then sew it or pay someone ekse to sew it. Thus the mother could essentially choose ant material she might like. Velvet was most popular for the classic suits, but velvet was an expesive material and thus cost-conscious mothers used many other less expensive and more durable fabrics. The variety of fabrics increased as middle-class mothers copied the fashions of the privlidged classes. Velvet was also a relatively heavy fabric. Thus lighter weight materials were adopoted for warm summer weather. A boy might wear just his blouse in hot weather. But there were jackets done in light-weight fabrics as well. Other lighter-weight materials were used depending on the type of Fauntleroy outfit. Except for velvet, it is very difficult to determine the material used for a suit from a photograph.
We mostly see suits done in heavier weight suits. A factor here is a much larger proportion of the American population lived in the northern states in the 19th century. This was because without air conditioning the warm climate in the Southern states was seen as oppressive by many. And given the short summers and long, cold winter without central heating, people needed to dress more warmly than is the case today. Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to discern most of the various weaves from a photograph. Velvet and sometimes corduroy are fairy easy to identify, but other fabrics much more difficult. Other weaves virtually impossible. This information is available in catalogs, but they cannot be connected to the photographic record. he only aspect of the material that is easy to identify is the patterns. We do not normally see suits done in loud patterns. We see flat (plain) weaves or very muted patterns. Of course here we are not talking about the iconic cut-away jackets worn with the classic Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, but rather standard suits worn with Fauntleroy blouse and trim. This is the Fauntleroy outfits that school-age boys might wear, at least boys beyond th very early primary years.
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