Boyhood Clothing Preferences

The following items describe boyhood clothing preferences:



Victorian Party


Note: Two boys quarreled over wether it was sissier to wear a lace collar or a kilt. According to the boy in the Fauntleroy suit and blouse with lace collar:

Before Christmas Day there was a party at our school in Baker Street. It was for the kindergarten, and the High School for Girls had lent us their hall for the occasion. There was a conjuror, and as a number of the bigger girls were there it promised to be a good party. I was very pleased about this, as I always seemed to like bigger girls, and I boldly asked one or two to dance. I could not dance at all, but one of them, a very nice girl named Maud, took a lot of trouble to show me how, so that I felt quite grown-up, and I suppose this made me rather cocky. Then one of the boys started to chaff me about my lace collar, a thing I was sensitive about. He was in Scotch clothes and I didn't think much of his get-up either. Anyhow his taunts were more than I could bear and I lashed out at him. He retaliated by kicking me. Stung to fury, I made a dive at him. We were close to a table which had a lot of glasses on it and over it went, glasses and all. For some reason, I got all the blame. As I tried to hide the tears of rage by picking up the broken glass, a stern-faced woman in an apron said I was a naughty little boy. Even Miss Turner, my favourite mistress, looked severe and said I ought to know better. Covered with shame, I retired to a corner and had the mortification of seeing Maud dancing with my late opponent. The evening was ruined, and I was glad when the time came to go home. Silent and crestfallen, I wrapped myself up, and Martha got no answer when she asked me how I had enjoyed myself.

Cyril was very sympathetic over this misfortune. Perhaps it was as well that he did not witness the incident, for he would most certainly have intervened on my behalf and then it would not have been fair, two to one, and even more glasses would have been broken. After some sleepless nights over Maud, I decided that she was not worth troubling about. The anticipation of Christmas made forgetfulness the more easy.

Ernest H. Shepard (the artist who drew the original Winnie the Poo illustrations) in Drawn from Memory




Victorian Poem



Note: Poem supposedly written by a Victorian boy, but almost surely a man looking back at his boyhood.

  • Dress me in a tunic
  • Reaching to the knees
  • Dress me in a derby hat,
  • Anything you please.
  • Put me into sailor suits
  • Wrap me in a kilt,
  • I'll wear a sailor straw
  • Stupidly atilt.
  • If you insist upon it
  • I shall have to wear
  • Corkscrew curls
  • In my nice long hair
  • Ring-striped stockings
  • Elastic-sided boots,
  • Or one of those dreadful
  • Fauntleroy suits -
  • Make me uncomfortable,
  • Cramped and trussed
  • Clean and respectable,
  • If you must,
  • What about goloshes
  • For when it's raining?
  • I'll stick most things
  • Without complaining -
  • White lace collars
  • And gingham blouses
  • But spare me those
  • Terrible
  • Tartan
  • Trowsis!
    Author unknown





    Figure 1.--




    Christopher Wagner

    histclo@lycosmail.com


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    Last updated: March 25, 1998