Figure 1.--This American boy pictures with his sister wears a boyish-looking double breasted suit. His mother has lovingly embellished it with a huge ruffled collar and large bow. The photograph was taken in Michigan during the 1890s.
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Figure 1.--This American boy pictures with his sister wears a boyish-looking double breasted suit. His mother has lovingly embellished it with a huge ruffled collar and large bow. The photograph was taken in Michigan during the 1890s. |
I am not sure when double breasted style first appeared or who designed them. They almost certainly were inspired by the military uniforms of the early 19th Century. Flashy turn of the 19th century military uniforms for officers often had row after row of buttons amd elaborate trin. Double breasted styles were used in military uniforms well into the 20th Century.
I do not yet have any historical information. I am collecting available images which hopefully will provide some insights on the developmentof this important style.
The first usage I have seen of double breasted styling was in skeletonsuits. One of the classic characteristics of a skeleton suit was parallel rows of buttons stretching from above the waist all the way to the shoulders.The inspiration is clearly the double breasted style of early 19th Century military uniforms. However, I do not yet have any contemprary fashion articles discussing this style.
Boys suits in the1850s. These early suits have the look of military style jackets with a rows of large numbers of buttons--often brass buttons. Some of the suits had 30 or more buttons on them. Some were purely ornamental, but some of the suits had to be buttoned. I have noted few double breasted syits before mid-century that did not have a military look to them.
Figure 2.--Both younger brothers wear kneepants double breasted suits. Not the huge bow the younger boy wears with his suit. This photograph was taken in the Columbus, Ohio during the 1890s. |
The double-breasted style was not limited to boys' jackets. Parallel rowsof buttons appeared on many other types of clothing. Even dresses for littleboys and girls appeared in the double breasted style. In comparison tothe skeleton suits and mid-19th Century suits with large numbers of buttons,some of the double breasted dresses had only four buttons.
One of the most enduring double breasted garment was the reeferjacket. It was widely used in boys sailor suits and jackets in thelate 19th Century.
I have seen double breasted suits without military-style buttons in 1870s or 80s clothing catalogs. I haven't had a chance to persue this yet, butwill when I have a chance.
At this time, the earliest image I have of a double breasted boys' suitdates to the 1890s. It is an Americium image is a boys' knee pants suit. I believe the double breasted style was used primarily for older boys'styles. I do not recall any double breasted Fauntleroy suits.
The suits were worn by a fairly large age range, including some younger boys. Mothers being mothers, many tried tomadd little touches to these suits for the younger and sometimes so so young boys. Some double breasted jackets were embellished with ruffled collars, bows, and wrist ruffles. Some mother with several bows would use stylistic elements such as lace or ruffled collars or large bows to stress the differet ages of the boys, even though the suits they were wearing were quite similar.
Figure 3.--Parents magazine pictured this smart double breasted suit in 1964. The caption read: "It's the season of the young, young Britishlook when classic plaids and checks abound. To update the classics story, color becomes the key factor. Plaids play up to the young individualists.Checking in with the Continental look...a suit by Ultra. Double breasted,lined jacket has high collarless neckline, welt pockets. shorts have buttonon suspenders. All wool hounds tooth suit is very sporting in burgundy,white and blue combination. Sizes 3 to 7, about $26. Rob Roy turtle neck." |
Since blazers were introduced in the late 1880s at British schools, boys have generally wore single breasted jackets. I do not know of any British schools that adopted double breated blazers. As a result, thevdouble breasted style for Brirish boys is relativey rare. When modern suit styles developed after the First World war,
single breasted suits were generally chosen for boys. American boys generally wore their suits with knickers while British boys wore shorts. Double breasted blazers, however, were relatively rare, even in America during the 1930s and 40s when double breasted suits were popular for adults.
Even though double breasted suits have never been the most popular stylesfor boys, they were widely worn in the 1920s and 30s. I know of no academicstudy, but based on the study of available images, I'd say that about 1out if every three or four boys' suits in America were double breasted.
Figure 4.--French boys in the 1930s might have suits with both shortpants and knickers. This 1936 ad offered short pants suits in sizes up to 16 years. Note the double breasted style and the solid color kneesocks. |
Double breasted blazers declined in popularity in America and France during the 1940s and 50s. They never were very popular in England or Germany.
Designers occasionally since the 1960s bring out a line of double breastedsuits for boys. Generally, however, they do not sell as well as single breasted blazers. Begining about the 1970s there was some revival of double breated suits. Some fashion houses pushed them as stylish. American boys have generally preferred the single breasted style, but there continue to be a minority of fashion consciousboys or more likely their mothers who chose the souble breasted style.
Styles and preceptions of styles change over time. I always thought of double breasted suits as giving an old fashioned, stolid look. Since the 1980s I think the double breasted suit has been perceived as a cutting edge stylistic look. Stylists noe say that doubke breated suits, at least for boys gives a slimming look. The British conservative leader William Hague has been ordered by his spin doctors to change from doublebreasted to single breasted suits. As you may know he is still in his thirties and theidea is to make him look fatter and more substantial and therefore more able tocommand respect. Apparently double breasted jackets have a slimming effect,according to the style gurus.