Figure 1.--Here we see a depiction of an a boy wearing an American eton suit. Note the matching cap. This was an illustration from a magazine ad, I think for an insurance company. I believe it appeared in 1960. Note the mother's white-gloved hand--a hint of the social class aspects of the Eton suit. These suits do have an upscale appearance. HBC has another Eton suit page, from a 1955 Cadillac ad, that makes the same sort of fashion statement!

The Eton suit featured a lapel-less suit coat, with the white collar of their shirt predominantly displayed. No tie was worn with the oxford shirt, and rounded Peter Pan collars frequently replaced the oxford shirt. The suit featured knickers, or short pants that were also called "suspender shorts". The short pants ended above the knee. There were both two- and-three piece Eton suits. The third piece, however, was a cap and not a vedst. Eton suits did not come with vests. Knee socks and an Eton cap finished the look, guaranteeing a properly-attired, swell fellow to make Mom beam with pride. The Eton suits are surely small boys' wear, althugh the age conventions varied over time. The design of the Eton jacket, no lapels (unnecessary, strictly for style) and short cut shorts, suggests a simplified version of dad's or an older brother's suit.

Cap

There were both two- and-three piece Eton suits. The third piece, however, was a cap and not a vedst. Eton suits did not come swith vests. A British-styled peaked cap was once a necesity to be worn by American boys with these Eton suits. The color and material of the cap would match that of the suit. An exception here was for ring bearer outfits which were not generally worn with these caps.

Jacket

Jackets for Eton suits were fairly standard. The major characteristic was a jackets with no lapels. The jackets were cut shorter than regular suit jackets. Some early Eton suits have rather normal size jackets, but by the 1930s the smaller jackets had become fairly standard.

Short Pants

American Eton suits were worn with short pants of various length. Some were even worn with long pants, altjhough this was less common. They generally were worn with rather short short pants--often suspender shorts. This contrasted with the longer shorts worn with the suit styles for older boys. The convention being that the shorter shorts were more suitable for younger boys. In recent years the shorts worn with these Eton suits have become quite long even for younger boys.

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Created: 6:21 AM 11/6/20051
Last updated: 11:01 PM 11/7/2005