*** English boy clothes -- suits chronology








English Boys Suits: Chronology

English suit chronology
Figure 1.--Here is a portrait of an English boy, probably taken in the 1860s. Notice the destinctive cut-away jacket styling. It was buttoned at the top at the collar. Collars at the time were narrow. This boy wears a three-piece suit with a vest. Norice how plain the suit is. Other suits ewere heabily decorasted such as the suits worn by the Gibson boys in 1871. Image courtesy of the BP collection.

English boys have woirn a range of suits over time. We have little information on the 18th century at this time. We note skeleton suits appearing in the late 18th century and they were worn in the early 19th century. Information is limited because photography had not yet been invented. We know much more about the suits boys wore in the mid-19th century because of ahe appearance of photography. Younger boys wore suits with cut-away jackets in the mid-19th century. Some of these suits were plain, others had elaborate styling and detailing. The Eton suit became very popular after mid-century. It originated of course at Eton College and was adopted at other public schools, but was worn as a basic suit style outside of school as well. The standard sack suit became common in the late 19th century. Many came with vests. Lapels were often set higher on the coat than was common in the 20th century. The single-breasted jacket was the most common. Other styles like Norfolk jackets appeared at this time. So did blazers, but they became more popular ater the turn of the 20th century. We note the Rugby suit at the turn of the 20th century.

The 18th Century

English boys have worn a range of suits over time. We have little information on the 18th century at this time. There are some paintings, mostly of the upper class. For most of the century, boys wore suits that were just small editions of their fathers' suits. This tended to be long jackets and knee breeches. We note skeleton suits appearing in the late-18th century. The skelton suit was a major departure in children's clothing. This was the first dedicated children's outfit and we see long pants for the first time among boys in affluent families..

The 19th Century

English boys also wore skeleton suits in the early 19th century. It was the principal style for boys, at least boys from affluent families. Information is limited because photography had not yet been invented. We know much more about the suits boys wore in the mid-19th century because of ahe appearance of photography. Younger boys wore suits with cut-away jackets in the mid-19th century. A good example is an unuidentifird English boy, probably in the 1860s. Some of these cut-away jacket suits were plain, others had elaborate styling and detailing. We note some older boys wearing suits with long jackets. A good example is an English boy, Edward Larrer in 1861. The Eton suit became very popular after mid-century. It originated of course at Eton College and was adopted at other public schools, but was worn as a basic suit style outside of school as well. Younger boys might wear Fauntleroy suits which appeared in the 1880s, but they were not as popular as in America. The standard sack suit became common in the late 19th century. Many came with vests. Lapels were often set higher on the coat than was common in the 20th century. The single-breasted jacket was the most common. Other styles like Norfolk jackets appeared at this time. So did blazers.

The 20th Century

English boys in the early 20th century still commonly wore suits. Boys wore both sack suits eith lapels and collar buttoning suits. We note the Rugby suit at the turn of the 20th century. We also see specialized suits like Fauntleroy suits and sailor suits. Gradually sack suits became more popular after the turn of the 20th century. Norfolk styling was popular in the early 20th century. We no longer see Fauntleroy suits for younger boys after World War I, except for formal occasions. Sailor suits continued to be worn, but mostly by younger boys. We see older boys wearing sailor suits on the Continent. The single breasted suit became standard after World War I. Short pants suits were very common. Many boys wore their school uniforms rather than a suit. This was often a blazer uniform. Gradually more informal dress strandards prevailed. This began after World War I, but became more prounounced after World War II. We no longer see boys wearing suits for everyday wear or to school. Boys wore suits much less than before the War. We still see short pants suits in the 1950s, but they become much less common in the 1960s. Boys at private schools still wore short pants schoo uniforms, but short pants suits declined in popularity. There was also a notable decline in the wearing of suits as informal dress standards became increasingly common. By the end of the century, boys did not wear suits, exceot as part of school uniforms. Many boys did not even hve suits.

The 21st Century

English boys in the 21st century no longer commonly wear suits. We see blazers being worn at secondary schools. And suits are still worn at some private schools. But we bo longer see many bits weat=rinhg suits.






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Created: 10:51 PM 7/15/20053
Last updated: 2:37 AM 10/13/2022