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New York: Dover Publications.
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9
Children’s Fashions
O V E R V I E W
In the years between 1900 and 1949, children’s lives in the United States
changed dramatically. At the beginning of the period, children were widely
exploited by factories, education beyond grammar school was unusual, and
teenagers were seen as young adults. By the end of the period, child labor
laws had been passed, most children were educated through the high school
level, and a new adolescent market was being exploited by marketers.
In the 1900s, young children were dressed alike. It was common to see
a boy under the age of 6 wearing a dress and sporting long curls. Once they
turned 6, they were dressed like young boys. This long-held custom had
primarily disappeared by the 1920s. By that time, only infants were outfit-
ted in dresses regardless of their sex. Once boys became toddlers, they wore
boys’ clothing. Although they were no longer dressed the same as girls,
young boys continued to have a ‘ coming of age’ clothing experience
through the end of this era. They wore knee pants or short pants until they
were 6 or 7, when they were allowed to wear long pants.
At the beginning of the 1900s, teenagers were seen as young adults in
many ways, and they dressed like young adults. By the 1940s, they were
seen as a separate category: not quite adults and not exactly children.
Marketers seized on this new group of teenager trendsetters and innova-
tors. Companies began developing products specifically for teenagers. As
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they modified existing garments, like rolling up jeans or wearing bobby
socks, stores began marketing those items and creating reproductions of
teenagers’ homemade trends.
During this era, there was a transition in the functionality of children’s
clothing. Early in the century, children’s clothing had a lot of adornment and
tended to be tight fitting. By the 1920s, playwear became a staple of a child’s
wardrobe. Rompers and playsuits allowed children to get messy and be active
without any concerns about ruining their more formal garments. American
society’s emphasis on health and the outdoors continued during the remain-
der of the era and further popularized play clothes and active garments.
There were many innovations in children’s garments that allowed them
to be more comfortable and active. From the youngest toddler to the col-
lege student, there were new details that affected every child’s clothing.
Toddlers had elastic leg openings that eased their movement and snaps
along the inseams of their trousers to speed up diaper changes. New fab-
rics such as rayon and nylon were used to make a variety of clothing from
coats to swimsuits. Rubber was used to make raincoats, new yarns for
swimsuits, and the soles for athletic shoes. Elastic made stocking garters
more comfortable, and raglan sleeves made arm movements freer.
Between 1900 and 1949, the United States was involved in two wars
and a major economic depression. These events affected the clothing of
all Americans, including children. During the wars, common materials
such as silk and metal were rationed and in scarce supply. Manufacturers
were required to reduce their use of fabrics and certain embellishments, so
clothing became shorter, narrower, and less decorated. Patriotism during
the wars led to the popularity of military styles among children. Military-
style coats, shirts, and hairstyles were popular. During WWII, copies of
military uniforms were available for children.
The Depression limited the purchasing power of most Americans.
Children were often outfitted in hand-me-downs or donations from aid
organizations. Usually, these garments were old-fashioned, outdated
styles. Most families could not afford extensive wardrobes for their chil-
dren, so very formal styles were purchased infrequently and most children
wore casual clothing for nearly all of their activities.
Children’s fashions were affected by popular culture during this period
more than it ever had before. Hollywood had a significant influence on
children’s clothing. Child stars such as Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, and
Deanna Durbin became fashion trendsetters, and they had lines of cloth-
ing. Cowboy stars such as Tom Mix and Roy Rogers popularized cowboy
culture for young boys. Cowboy boots, hats, and motif shirts were popular
among boys. Popular children’s books became inspirations for fashion
The 1900s
291
during the first half of the twentieth century. Bonnets styled after the
ones in Gone with the Wind and dresses inspired by Little Women found
their way to clothing store racks during this period.
At the beginning of the century, children’s clothing was much like it had
been in the previous century. The themes that had been consistent in child-
ren’s fashions, such as similarity to adult clothing, restrictiveness, and slow
transitions in styles, changed significantly over the course of the next forty-
nine years. Styles changed with increasing frequency, a new youthful teenage
market emerged, and children’s styles deviated clearly from adult styles.
T H E
1900S
FORMALWEAR
Infants and Toddlers
Christening gowns were the most formal of infant clothing. Worn during
a christening ceremony, this long white cotton gown was usually finely
embroidered and inset with lace. The gowns would measure anywhere
between thirty-five and fifty inches in length (MacPhail 1999). They were
considered prized possessions to be worn by all of the children in the fam-
ily and would be passed down from generation to generation.
Teen and College
The teen and college styles for both young men and women closely fol-
lowed adult fashions, although teenagers and college-age young people
were more likely to adopt the new
clothing trends.
During the Edwardian period, teenage girls and young women dressed
like older women, wearing the tightly corseted fashions with extensive
lace trim and sweeping, trumpet-shaped skirts. Their silhouette differed
slightly from older women, because the monobosom was not as pro-
nounced in their eveningwear.
CASUAL WEAR
Infants and Toddlers
During the 1900s, properly outfitting an infant required many clothes. At
that time, diapers were made of wool or cotton and did not have rubber or
plastic overpants, so every time the baby wet, it soiled most of its clothes.
A typical layette consisted of three or four long cotton nightgowns,
two or three cotton or woolen jackets called matinees, three or four wool
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CHILDREN’S FASHIONS
wrap-over vests for warmth, one or two blankets, two or three pairs of knit
booties, and two dozen diapers. Often the nightgowns would have draw-
strings or sashes to accommodate the width of the growing child.
Baby and toddler boys and girls were dressed alike until the 1920s.
Typically, they wore cotton, linen, or silk dresses or jacket and skirt com-
binations. In the 1900s, colors became popular. Before then, infant clothes
were usually white or cream colored. Peach and pink were considered
girls’ colors, and blue and lemon yellow were boys’ colors.
Gingham, chambray, lightweight cotton, and wool were common
materials for toddler dresses. Some were solid colored, but stripes, plaids,
and other patterns were also popular. Most dresses had a ruffle at the yoke
and a high neck. Empire, natural, and dropped waists were all common, and
the hemline was either below the knee or mid-calf. Sleeves were close fitting
or loose and gathered into the cuff.
Children to Preteen
Girls’ Ensembles. Girls wore solid or plaid dresses during the 1900s.
Depending on the season, the dresses were made of wool flannel, wool
cashmere, or cotton lawn. Dresses had high necks that mimicked those in
adult women’s dress. Round or square yokes were accented by wide geo-
metric lapels, berthas, that might be round, scalloped, square, triangular,
or notched. In dresses made of lawn, a ruffle was another form of yoke
embellishment. The yokes were trimmed with tucks, buttons, lace, or em-
broidery. The edges of the bertha were usually decorated with braid, rib-
bon, velvet, cord, lace, embroidery, or inset fabric. The bodice was
generally loose to allow easy movement and growth.
A belt, waistband, or sash cinched the dress at the natural waist or
slightly lower. Occasionally, the waistband dipped into a V in the front,
imitating adult dress. Supported by petticoats, the skirt flared out and
ended just below the knee.
Sailor dresses were very popular with girls. These navy blue dresses
usually had pleated skirts and sailor collars, which extended from the
lapels to a square cape in the back. The collar would be trimmed with
white, and a loose necktie was knotted beneath the collar.
Boys’ Ensembles. Once boys emerged from toddlerhood, they began
wearing suits. Typically, suits consisted of a single- or double-breasted
jacket, a waistcoat, and close-fitting, straight knee pants. The knees and
seat of the pants were often double layered to improve the durability. The
pants were secured at the knee with buttons or a buckle.
By the end of the decade, the silhouette of boys’ suits had changed.
Double-breasted jackets became the norm, and they were cut more
loosely. The close-fitting knee pants gave way to the looser knee-length
knickerbockers that gathered at the knee.
The 1900s
293
Beneath the suits, boys would wear
shirtwaists. Fancier styles were designed
to be worn without jackets. They featured
wide, cape-like collars and ruffles or em-
broidery. Most shirts were plainer in style
and were made from cotton, linen, or
flannel. Some came with attached collars,
whereas others had detachable ones.
Plaids, stripes, and solids were the most
common patterns. Military-style shirts
were popular during the early part of the
decade. The shirt placket and closures ran
from the edge of the right shoulder down
to the shirt hem.
Like boys’ pants, boys’ shirts often had
features designed for their active lifestyles.
Easily washable material was a feature, as
were double-sewed seams. Some shirts
included a band of buttons along the
waistline to help keep the shirt tucked.
Playsuits were popular for younger
Boys’ and girls’ clothing in the early 1900s. The girl wears
boys. These garments were one-piece
a sleeveless dress with ruffled yoke; the boy’s hair has curls
combination shirts and pants. They were
customary to the period. [Library of Congress]
designed for children’s grimier playtime.
Instead of ruining expensive suits and
dresses, parents could put their children in an inexpensive playsuit instead.
Playsuits came in long and knee-length pant styles and were usually
belted.
Teen to College
Girls’ Ensembles. The clothing of teenage and college girls followed the
dominant S-curve silhouette. They wore dresses, suits, and separates that
conformed to the silhouette’s monobosom bodice and trumpet-shaped
skirt. Shirtwaists and bodices were adorned with lace inserts and embroi-
dery. Waistlines were cinched and accented by belts, sashes, and wide
waistbands. Leg-of-mutton sleeves remained popular, although they were
not taken to the extremes as they were during their peak in the 1890s.
This sleeve style consisted of a full puffed sleeve from the shoulder to the
elbow that tapered into a close-fitting sleeve from the elbow to the wrist.
Boys’ Ensembles. Boys’ clothing followed the silhouette of the men’s
clothing during the period. Suits were the norm, although jackets could
be single or double breasted. Regardless of the closure, the jacket was cut
full at the torso giving even young men a barrel-chested appearance.
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CHILDREN’S FASHIONS
Young men frequently wore sack coats. Vests were worn under jackets,
and the shirt was only visible from the top of the vest to the collar. This
was a looser, more square style of jacket. Pants were cut full in the hip
and more closely in the leg.
OUTERWEAR
Children to Preteen
Coats. Coats for young girls were available in long and short styles.
Shorter styles were sometimes referred to as ‘ automobile jackets.’’ The
short styles would extend to the hip line, whereas longer coats ranged
from below the hip to just below the knee.
Reefer-style coats were popular throughout the decade. This style was
double breasted and fit fairly straight along the body. Long coats that
flared out at the hem were also seen. Coats were not cinched at the waist.
Sleeves came in a variety of styles, including close fitting, full and gath-
ered into the c
uff, and raglan.
There were four main types of collars used on girls’ coats during the
1900s. The first is the common coat collar with notched lapels. This type
of collar was usually trimmed with velvet in a contrasting color. The sec-
ond type of collar was referred to as a ‘ storm’ collar. This round collar
buttoned high up on the neck and folded over to extend slightly below
the natural neckline. The third type mimicked the bertha collars on girls’
dresses and consisted of a shoulder cape of circular or square shape. It was
usually topped with a storm collar. By the end of the decade, sailor collars
gained in popularity. In this type of collar, the lapels extended into a
square cape on the back. It included a necktie that was tied loosely below
the collar.
Most coats were made of wool, silk, or cotton and trimmed with vel-
vet, braids, silk cord, or embroidery along the collar, cuffs, and pockets.
Common coat colors included blue, red, brown, and gray.
Boys had a lot of variety in their coats. Short top coats imitated those
of their fathers and were usually worn by boys over the age of 10. Older
boys also had longer styles of coats that were made in adult men’s styles.
Reefer coats were like those worn by girls but without the embellish-
ments. Younger boys also wore cape-style overcoats.
Teen to College
Coats. Coat styles followed the men’s and women’s styles of the time
period.
The 1900s
295
SWIMWEAR AND SPORTSWEAR
Children to Preteen
Swimwear. Young children wore a one-piece wool tank suit for swim-
ming. Typically, the legs of the suit extended to the mid-thigh. Older
boys wore a similar suit or one that had a long tunic over a pair of mid-
thigh-length shorts. The tunic either had short sleeves or was sleeveless.
Generally, these suits were made of wool, but sometimes they were made
of cotton or a blend of wool and cotton.
Older girls typically wore woven loose-fitting swim dresses with a
knitted underpiece. They often had short sleeves, but some versions were
sleeveless. Usually, these dresses were belted or had distinct waistbands.
Some dresses had collars.
Teen to College
Swimwear. The woven swim dress was the common bathing costume for
teenage and college girls. Usually made from dark-colored cotton or silk,