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Colonial Day Clothing Ideas
This document describes typical clothing for boys and girls during the Victorian era (1854-1901). For girls, dresses and skirts became longer as they aged, reaching the ankles by age 16. Wealthy girls also wore corsets, bonnets, pinafores, and ankle-length dresses. Boys often wore dresses or skirts until age 3-4 and later wore outfits resembling smaller versions of adult male clothing, such as knee-length trousers. Clothing styles aimed to distinguish gender and mirrored fashions of the time.
Colonial Day Clothing Ideas
- 1. What can you wear on colonial day? The Victorian Era Period: 1854 – 1901 BOYS GIRLS -‐ Leather shoes/boots -‐ White shirt -‐ Waistcoat/Vest -‐ Neckerchief (bandana around neck) -‐ Knickerbockers (trousers rolled up to 3/4 length) -‐ Flat cap -‐ Overalls -‐ Plain tie/bowtie -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ Leather shoes/boots -‐ White shirt -‐ Pinafore -‐ Bonnet (like a shower cap) -‐ Knee-‐high white socks -‐ Black leggings -‐ Hair parted, and braids clipped to head -‐ Apron -‐ Dress (ankle-‐length) -‐ -‐ Wealthy Victorian Girls’ Clothing Children’s clothing evolved as time went by during the Victorian era. Many of these styles mirrored the adult styles of the day to some extent. There were some differences though. For example, girls’ skirts might be shorter than the adult skirt. Little girls’ skirts would go down to the knees. Then around ten years of age the length would be somewhere around mid-‐calf. Around the age of 16 a girls skirt would be full length down to the ankles just like their mothers. In fact, by this time the well to do young ladies would be dressing in the same fashion as adults. Until the late 1800s, girls were still wearing corsets. Wealthy Victorian Boys’ Clothing By modern standards young Victorian boys dressed like girls. They mainly wore frocks and pleated skirts until the age of three or four. Sometime around the 1860s the Scottish Highlander look became popular complete with plaid skirt and all. Boys between four and eight years old wore these. Also at this time Victorian boys started wearing the Knickerbocker suit. A style most likely borrowed from the Americans. In later years much like the girls, boys would wear smaller versions of what the adults would wear.
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