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English sailor suits : V- front styling V-front only
English Sailor Suits: V-front Styling--V-front Only
Figure 1.--This tinted cabinet card shows an unidentified English boy wearing a brown corduroy sailor suit, although the only sailor styling is the V-front and bloomer knickers. Notice what looks like a small Eton collar and bow tie. He wears ankle strap shoes, something you would not see in America. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1880s to us. The studio was Paul Stabler in Sunderland. A reader writes, "The boy seems to be around 10 years old to me. Also the sheen on his strap shoes makes me think he is wearing patent leather strap shoes so the outfit may be very elegant for its day!"
The third style of sailor suit was a variety of outfits that had a V-front or hint of a V-front, but no other element of sailor styling. This was perhaps the least common approach to sailor styling, but we see quite a number of examples in the photographic record. Most of the examples we have found are from the 19th century. At frst glance these suits look like regular suits until the V-front comes into focus. Thgese suits were done with various pants, basically the popular syles at the time. We note a corduroy knickers suit with atripes are other sailor elements, we think in the 1880s.
