|
Kilt suits were worn with a wide variety of skirted garments. We note different styled kilt-skirts. Many were done as long, pleated kilts with a unpleated front pannel. I think this was done to emphasize that the garment was a kilt and not just a skirt that a girl might wear. We believe that the kilts worn with kilt suits were almost always bodice kilts, but do not yet have conformation of this. This is of course difficult to tell from a photograph. A clue here is that blouces were nornmally bloused at the waist because the kilt skirt was normally worn with a bodice so shirt tails could not be tucked in. The kilts were usually either plain colors or mute plaids. Some had double breasted styling on the kilt front pannel even though the jacket and vest were single breasted garments. We see quite a few of these double breasted styled front pannels. This seems to have been the most common kilt styling. Presumably there was some fashion magazine or pattern company influencing the styling. And by the 1870s we begin to see more ready made garments which would be a force for uniformity. One curuious aspect of the kilts used in kilt suits is the hem length.
Kilt suits were worn with a wide variety of skirted garments. The three major kilt features we notice are 1) pleats, 2) buttons, and 3) front pannel. Some of the kilt skirts had all three. Somes just one. Many were done as long, pleated skirts with a unpleated front pannel. the buttons were often done in two paralell vertical columns. This seems to have matched the buttins on souble-breasted jackeys. Many of the jackets, however were single breasted or collr buttoning jackets withva sinle row of bittons. Some of the bittons seem to be used as a closing device while on other kilt-skirts they seem purely ornamental. I think this was done to emphasize that the garment was a kilt and not just a skirt that a girl might wear. We see quite a few of these double breasted styled front pannels. This seems to have been the most common kilt styling, at least for the kilkt-skirts for wjhich an attempt was made to create a kilt-like garment. This front pannel is sometimes wide enought that it is difficult ro see if it is alsp pleated.
We believe that the kilts worn with kilt suits were almost always bodice kilts. This was how they were held up. We do not yet have conformation of this. This is of course difficult to tell from a photograph. A clue here is that blouces were nornmally bloused at the waist because the kilt skirt was normally worn with a bodice so shirt tails could not be tucked in. We do not notice other alternatives such as button-on styling, suspndedrs, or belts. Of course these support devices could be covered by the jacket abnd vest, but we do notsee them in the numerous examples of boys wearing kilts and skirts with just blouses.
Colors and patterns are another interesting topic. The kilts worn by American boys were usually either plain colors or mute plaids. Colors are of course difficult to assess given the black and white photography of the day. We suspect thazt the colors may have mirrored the colors in which conteporary regular suits with pants were done, but this needs to be confirmed. This would mean primarily colors like blue, brown, grey, and perhaps green. There were also black kilts, primrily the ones worn with Fauntleroy kilt suits and of course Highlnd outfits. We rarely see them with the much more popular kilt suits. We see the colored kilts done primarily with darker tones. There were lighter-colored kilts, but these were less common than darker colors. They certainly existed, but were just not as common. We suspect that the colors were in part seasonal matters, dark colors in the winter and light colors in the summer. Light-colored summer suits were less needed because many boys just wore blouses during the hot summer weather. We even see a few white kilts, but they were not very common at all. We note both flat colors and patterns. This is not always readily apparent unless we have a high-quality image. Quite a few of these kilts were done in patterns, but brightly colored Highland tartans are rare. WE do see a few, especially as part of Funtleroy kilt suiits. The patterns e note tend to be much more muted. Many are like the suits boys wore, but we do not see the very bold patterns sometimes worn with suits. For some reason, these do not seem to hve been viewed as suitable by mothers.
Presumably there was some fashion magazine or pattern company influencing the styling.
And by the 1870s we begin to see more ready made garments which would be a force for uniformity.
One curuious aspect of the kilts used in kilt suits is the hem length. Many if not most of the portraits we have found of boys wearing kilkt suits show the rather long hem lines. We are not sure why this was. Curuiously the kilt itself was virtually the only garment that was worn at knee length. Some times the kilt covered the knee, but often you coukld see part of the knee. We know of no other garment that either men or women wore that was so revealing. Even bathing costumes in the 19th century covered the knee. Boys' knee pants until the end of the century were worn well below the knee, often at calf level, even the ones worn by girls. Very young girls might wear shorter dresses, but the kilt worn with kilt suits were almost always well below the knee. Dresses could cober the ankle. Why then were the kilts in kilt skirts worn with such low hem lines? This seems especially strange as they were worn by young boys. Possibly mother was buying a large size for children to grow into. This couild be partially true, but then there should be portraits of the older boys with shorter kilts that they had grown into, and we do not see this in the photographic record.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing kilt pages:
[Return to the Main American kilt/skirt suit garment page]
-
[Return to the Main American kilt suit garment page]
[Return to the Main American kilt suit page]
[Return to the Main National kilt page]
[Kilt History]
[Kilt Usage]
[Kilt suits]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
