Figure 1.-- This cabinet photograph shows and unidentified boy wearing a Fauntleroy kilt suit with mostly standard accompanying garments. Look at lace and ruffled star collar. Click on the image for greater detail. His hair is shoulder length, but uncurled. This was unusual in America where most boys with long hair wore it done in ringlets. What is not common was the boy's hat. It is a fairly standard wide-brimmed gat, but trimmed with a huge ostrich or egrit feathers. These feathers were popular at the time for ladies hats and resulted in mass slaughter of bird populations. They were unusual for boys. The size and style of the mount as well as the whicker furniture suggest the portarit was taken around the turn-of-the 20th century. The studio was Brannock in Amsterdam, New York.

The standard Fauntleroy kilt suit included a jacket, commonly a small cut-away jacket, and a kilt-skirt either matching the jacket or done in plaid. There were in addition a wide range of other accompanying garments worn with the basic suit. The most important was a famcy Fauntleroy blouse, but there were several other items as well. Our information on the headwear worm with Fauntlertoy kiklt suits is at this time limited. We have archived quite a number of images of American boys wearing kilt suits, including Fauntleroy kilt suits. Unfortunately most do not include the headwear worn with the outfit. We see boys wearing quite a variety of headwear. There was no widely accepted conventions on the matter. Scottish headwear such as Glengaries and Balmorals were not common. We notice the boys wearing both hats and caps. Some of the caps worn seen rather casual for such a formal outfit. Perhaps the mnost common headwear was the wide-brimmed hat, but that is just our preliminary assessment. The hats we see are mostly plain without all the embelishments often seen on girls' wide-brimmed hats. The hats we see are mostly plain without all the embelishments often seen on girls' wide-brimmed hats. Cut-away jackets were used to best show off the blouses worn with these kilt suits. The Fauntleroy blouses were the same as worn with regular Fauntleroy suits. The blouses varied. Some were enormous and frilly, nearly engulfing small boys. Other Fauntleroy blouses were more restrained. They were worn both with and without flopopy bows. The classic Fauntleroy suit of the mid-1880s was worn with a cut-away jacket showing off a fancy blouse. These blouses were quite varied, but had many common features. There were attached lace or ruffled collar--commonly very large collars. There were often also front ruffels. Some of these blouses had huge collars. Some had matching wrist cuffs. They blouced at the waist with a string closure. Many kilt suits were worn with vests. It was quite common. An exception were the Fauntleroy-style kilt suits. This was because the fancy Fauntleroy blouses were a major part of the outfit and they included both a large famcy collar as well as usually fancy flounces down the front. The cut-away jacket commonly worn as part of the Fauntleroy kilt suit helped display the blouse. A vest would have only covered it up. Large floppy bows were often worn with Fauntleroy kilt suits. They were done in many colors and patterns. The bows helped to add a little color to otherwise usually black or other dark-colored suit. While blouses with Fauntleroy collars were required with Fauntleroy kilt suits, the floppy bow was an optional outfit. We notice boys both with and without the large floppy bows. The same was true of standard Fauntleroy suits as well. American bopys always wore long stockings with kilt suits. We have never noted socks of any sorts, even the tartan knee socks worn with Highland kilts. We see the long stockings dome in black and other dark colors. We mostly see boys wearing high-top shoes with Fauntleroy kilt suits.

Headwear

We are not yet sure just what headwear was worn with these Fauntleroy kilt suits. Our information on the headwear worm with Fauntlertoy kiklt suits is at this time limited. We have archived quite a number of images of American boys wearing kilt suits, including Fauntleroy kilt suits. Unfortunately most do not include the headwear worn with the outfit. We see boys wearing quite a variety of headwear. There was no widely accepted conventions on the matter. Scottish headwear such as Glengaries and Balmorals were not common. We notice the boys wearing both hats and caps. Perhaps the mnost common headwear was the wide-brimmed hat, but that is just our preliminary assessment. We do know that the boys wore broad-brimmed hats, often with streamers. The hats while large were generally plain. In a few instances we have noted famcy decorated hats such as the boy here with feathers on his hat (fifure 1). And we have photographic evidence conforming that these broad-brimmed hats were worn with Fauntleroy kilt suits. Contemporary illustrations certainly suggest this. Our photgraphic evidence is more limited. Thus we are not entirely sure. The broad-brimmed hat certainly was not the only headwear. Here we need more information. we are just not sure what other styles were worn. We suspect that one popular style was the Scottish Glengary cap. Some of the caps wee have noted being worn with Fauntleroy kilt suits seen rather casual for such a formal outfit, but of course this is a reflection of our modern conventions.

Fauntleroy Blouses

Cut-away jackets were used to best show off the blouses worn with these kilt suits. The Fauntleroy blouses were the same as worn with regular Fauntleroy suits. The blouses varied. Some were enormous and frilly, nearly engulfing small boys. Other Fauntleroy blouses were more restrained. They were worn both with and without flopopy bows. The classic Fauntleroy suit of the mid-1880s was worn with a cut-away jacket showing off a fancy blouse. These blouses were quite varied, but had many common features. There were attached lace or ruffled collar--commonly very large collars. There were often also front ruffels. Some of these blouses had huge collars. Some had matching wrist cuffs. They blouced at the waist with a string closure.

Vests

Many kilt suits were worn with vests. It was quite common. An exception were the Fauntleroy-style kilt suits. This was because the fancy Fauntleroy blouses were a major part of the outfit and they included both a large famcy collar as well as usually fancy flounces down the front. The cut-away jacket commonly worn as part of the Fauntleroy kilt suit helped display the blouse. A vest would have only covered it up.

Floppy Bows

Large floppy bows were often worn with Fauntleroy kilt suits. They were done in many colors and patterns. The bows helped to add a little color to otherwise usually black or other dark-colored suit. While blouses with Fauntleroy collars were required with Fauntleroy kilt suits, the floppy bow was, however, an optional outfit. Some mothers did not add them. We thus notice boys both with and without the large floppy bows. The same was true of standard Fauntleroy suits as well. The boy here does not have a floppy bow (figure 1).

Hosiery

American boys always wore long stockings with kilt suits. We have never noted socks of any sorts, even the tartan knee socks worn with Highland kilts. This was almost always true when boys dressed up mor went to school. Only infants did not wear long stockings. Therre was one other exception, boys going barefoot, but we do not notice examples of this with noys wearing kilt suitsd. We see the long stockings with Fauntleroy kilt suits done in black and other dark colors.

Footwear

We mostly see boys wearing high-top shoes with Fauntleroy kilt suits.

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Created: 2:29 PM 9/1/2013
Last updated: 2:29 PM 9/1/2013