Figure 1.--This American boy wears an Eton suit with an Eton collar and bow tie. We are uncertain about the color of the suit. He looks to be 8-9 years old. The photograph is undated, but we would estimate the 1930s. Image courtesy of the RS collection.

A spin off of the Eton suits became fasionable for small American boys beginning at about 5 years of age. This style from the beginning was preceived as an upper-class style. Even so, it became the most stylish dress suit for two generations of American boys. It did not begin to disappear until the 1970s, but even in the 1990s is worn by very young boys at fornmal events like weddings.

Classic Eton Suits

Portaits show that the Eton collar and Eton suits had crossed the Atlantic as early as the 1840s. I do not know, however, just how popular the style was. The American primitive show here for a variety of reasons. HBC is fairly confident that the style of their suit and collar was inspired by the English Eton suits, the shape of the collars, the short black jackets, the long grey trousers all point to this. The image also shows how common it was during the first half of the 19th century for boys, even very young ones, to wear long pants after breeching. A British expert on Eton collars, however, notes that he wouldn't call the relatively unstiff flat-down-upon-the-shoulders collars depicted in the painting of the American brothers true Eton Collars. Although the latter probably evolved from the earlier type they are different in important respects. The true English Eton Collar stands higher and is much stiffer--and presumably rather more uncomfortable." Photographic evidence and fashion catalogs suggest that Eton suits and collars were not nearly as popular in Americaas in England. Eton suits were being worn by American boys in the late 19th century and at the turn of the century. The boys wearing them, however, are generally boys from affluent families. The style was much less commonly worn by middle-class boys. The collar itselfwas more popular than the entire suit. While wealthy boys might wear a proper Eton suit, more common was the Eton collar with an ordinary suit. HBC is not sure if the classic Eton suit evolved into the Eton suits commonly worn by younger American boys or if this style developed on its own.

American Eton Suits

While the Eton suit generally disappeared in the 1920s, it was still occasionally seen in the 1930s. A destinctly Americam off shoot of the Eton suit was the American Eton suit which was beginnng in the late 1920s worn by younger American boys, a suit with a short lapeless jacket usually with suspender short pants. I began to note the lapelless Eton jackets in America during the late 1920s. I'm am not positive when they first begun to be worn in America, but appears to be sometime during the 1920s. We are not sure about the details of these suits. They appear to have been worn mostlty with short pants. We do not know, for example, if the suit pants were suspender shorts or not. The Eton suit does not appear to have become a widely worn style for small boys until the mid-1940s. Almost all the boys wearing Eton suits before the 1950s would be boys from affluent families. Only in the 1950s did the style become widely worn by all classes of American boys. Collar styles began to cahnge in the 1940s from Eton collars to Peter Pan collars. It was quite common in the 1960s, but began to decline in the 1970s. It was less commonly worn in the 1980s as even most younger boys stoped wearing short pants suits for dressup. We have not yet determined chronological trends associated with neckwear.

The 1920s

I began to note the lapelless Eton jackets in America during the late 1920s. I'm am not positive when they first begun to be worn in America, but appears to be sometime during the 1920s. We are not sure about the details of these suits. They appear to have been worn mostlty with short pants. As was the style, the shorts are generally knee-length. We do not know, however, if the suit pants were suspender shorts or not. We are not sure what color suits were worn in the 1920s. The examples we have are light colored suits. Eton collars are at least pointed collars were most common with Eton suits in the 1920s.

The 1930s

HBC has little information about the Eton suits worn in the 1930s. Eton collars appear to have been the most common, but comne begins to see some Peter Pan collars as well. We believe that boys as old as 9-10 years wore Eton suits in the 1930s.

The 1940s

The Eton suit appears more commonly in the 1940s. The Eton suit does not appear to have become a widely worn style for small boys until the mid-1940s. Almost all the boys wearing Eton suits before the 1950s would be boys from affluent families. The shirts begin to change to blouses as the stule become more associated with younger boys. Also you begin to see some boys wearing Petr Pan collars with their Eton suits. Eton suits begin to be seen as prinmarily for younger boys up to about 6 or 7 years of age. As the Eton suits tend to be seen as little boy suits, they tend to appear with shorter short pants than was the case in earlier.

The 1950s

Only in the 1950s did the style become widely worn by all classes of American boys. Collar styles began to change in the 1940s from Eton collars to Peter Pan collars. Most of the suits we noter or grey or black. Almost all Eton suits were made with suspender shorts. We are not sure that this was the case earlier.

The 1960s

Eton suits were quite common in the 1960s. The black Eton suit was a particular standard.

The 1970s

The popularity of the Eton suit begins to decline in the 1970s, in part because fewer boys wear suits even when they dress up. The age of boys wearing Eton suits declines to about 6 years.

The 1980s

The Eton suit was less commonly worn in the 1980s as even most younger boys stoped wearing short pants suits for dressup.

Neckwear

Eton suits have been worn both without and without neckwear. For those boys who wire their Etin sduits with neckwear, the most common choice was a bowtie. HBC has not, however, not yet determined chronological trends associated with neckwear.

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Created: January 28, 2002
Last updated: January 28, 2002