In the past, there was no specific fashion for children. The boys and girls, from the moment they could walk, dressed as their fathers and mothers.
Children’s clothing exactly corresponded to the world of adult fashion, down to the smallest detail. Right up until the early 18th century, children dressed according to their position in life, looking like miniatures of their parents.
Oil paintings from that era show wealthy families, all dressed in their best attire. The sons wore elegant velvet suits with lace collars and the daughters wore elaborate gowns with layer upon layer of elegant silk. The richer you were, the more silk you wanted to wear. People from poorer situations wore simpler clothing of rougher fabric, including wool, cotton, and linen, or well-worn second-hand garments.
With the dawn of the industrial revolution came the production of much affordable cotton, and clothing began to become roomier and more comfortable. This was true for both adults and children. At last, people could move more easily while doing their daily tasks. Boys and girls could run and play with much more freedom. They were no longer weighed down by heavy, scratchy fabrics. Society and fashion were becoming much more relaxed.
In the Regency, Victorian and Edwardian eras, long before the advent of washing machines, girls wore aprons and gowns to protect their dresses from dirt. An outfit for attending a party, church service, or wedding called for a highly decorated apron, complete with lace and embroidery. Everyday aprons were plain and devoid of decoration. Boys may be drawn to a sailor suit with a large collar.
Even though clothing and fabrics were becoming less restrictive, young ladies and gentlemen still wore styles that evoked adult fashion. The girls wore dresses made of white calico, muslin, and a yellow cloth called Nankeen that was imported from China. The empire line was in style, with high-cut bodices worn with a slip. Typically made from muslin, this style was attached with a sash or ribbon, just below the breast.
In the romantic era, waistlines began to drop again. Dresses flaunted fur trim, ruffles, and ruffles. This new look was completed with elaborately decorated hats and bonnets. Still, the young girls were dressed to look like mini-adults, while their brothers could be found wearing the infamous Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit.
All the women and girls wore long dresses, but in the early 19th century, younger women began to shorten their skirts. If you were seventeen or eighteen, you were considered a young lady and your skirts were long. A sixteen-year-old girl’s skirt was ankle-length, while a fourteen-year-old’s skimmed the calf. A twelve year old girl enjoyed the freedom of a dress cut just below her knee. Boys ran in shorts or boxer shorts until they graduated to adulthood and wizard long pants.
In the 1840s, all women, regardless of age, wore crinoline-style shirts, pushed to the limit with stiffly starched petticoats, reinforced with horsehair. Some time later, lighter underwire cage crinolines made of wire became all the rage.
Since a sudden breeze could billow a skirt and, horror or horror, reveal a leg, pants were invented. These wide, leggy pants, made of white linen or cotton, did the trick. Very quickly they became a fashion statement in themselves, embellished as they were with white lace ruffles. This was the beginning of underwear made to be seen.
Gradually, the crinoline and petticoat began to migrate from front to back, evolving into the adult bustle. Around this time, little girls’ fashion began to take on a style of its own. Young women preferred long-waisted dresses that hung over a false pleated skirt.
In the early 1880s, girls wore much slimmer styles, with dresses that fanned out over a very low-hanging sash that was tied around the waist. This style was a precursor to the distinctive styles of pocketed blouses that came with the Edwardian era.
Little by little, children’s clothing began to take on a life of its own. More and more people began to travel, and this fact had a great influence on fashion. Tartan became extremely popular as a useful and attractive fabric, especially for kilts and school uniforms.
As more and more families migrated to the coast for their annual summer vacation, nautical styles gained popularity. Both girls’ and boys’ clothing sported large sailor collars with rows of braided trim. These styles continued through the Edwardian and late Victorian eras. Quartermaster jackets with a whistle created a false front that required no shirt underneath.
These early trends in children’s fashion have continuously gained momentum. Today, our children and grandchildren can dress to their liking. From the moment they are born, parents and friends gift them with the latest designs. As they progress through the lower grades and high school, kids are bombarded with shows, movies, and commercials, starring kids their own age, whom they desperately want to emulate.
The way trends come and go these days leaves parents struggling just to keep up. The latest outfits can be expensive, and if you have two or three kids, it can be a real kick to the wallet. One solution is to get away from malls and specialty stores and do your shopping online. There are many wholesale clothing sites online that specialize in wholesale children’s clothing and brand name designer clothing. You’re sure to find unique designer fashions that will please both your child and her pocketbook.
