Through the years, the fashion style for children has evolved quite a bit. From simple clothing to incorporating more fashionable elements in their daily lives, children have seen a variety of modifications. One thing that’s remained constant is their enthusiasm for fashion. If you’re looking to find inspiration for your next outfit or are looking to learn how to alter the look of your child in the future, read on!
In the past, no particular fashion was specifically designed for children. Little girls and boys at the time could walk, dressed just like their parents and fathers. Children’s clothing was like the adult world up to the smallest detail. Until the 18th century, children were dressed according to their position in life and looked like miniature versions of their grandparents. Oil paintings of the time depict wealthy families in the most elegant attire. Sons used to get dressed in fancy velvet suits with lace collars, and daughters wore elaborate gowns with layers of gorgeous silk. Naturally, the wealthier you were, the more silk you would want to flaunt. People in less fortunate circumstances had simpler clothes made of rougher material, like linen, cotton, and wool, or well-worn hand-me-downs.
Revolution of Fabrics
At the beginning of the industry’s revolution came the production of cheap cotton, and clothing became more spacious and comfortable. That was the case for both adults and children. Finally, people could move more freely in their daily chores. Girls and boys were able to run and play in greater freedom. They no longer had to be weighed down by bulky rough fabric. Fashion and society had become more casual.
In the Regency, Victorian and Edwardian times, before the invention of washing machines, ladies had smocks and pinafores to keep their dresses from getting stained. A dress for the party, service at the church, or even a wedding required a lavishly embellished pinafore adorned with embroidery and lace. The aprons of everyday use were simple and without any embellishments. The boys could wear a sailor’s suit with a big collar.
Although clothing and fabrics were becoming more flexible, the young gentlemen and ladies continued wearing designs that evoked adulthood’s look. The dresses of girls were made of white percale with lined Swiss, Mullin, and a yellow-colored fabric known as Nankeen, which came from China. Empire lines were fashionable and featured high-cut bodices paired with the slip. Typically made from muslin, a ribbon or sash tied this dress beneath the bosom.
Fashion Sense in the Early Age
In the Romantic period, waistlines started falling again. Dresses featured frills and fur trimmings as well as ruffles and flounces. This fresh look was finished with elaborately decorated capes and hats. Young women were dressed like adults, whereas their brothers could be seen wearing the famous Little Lord Fauntleroy suit.
Girls and women alike were dressed in long dresses. However, in the early 1800s, younger women began to reduce their skirts. If you were 17 or eighteen, you were considered a young woman with skirts of standard length. A 16-year-old’s skirt was ankle length, whereas the 14-year-old’s skirt would be slightly longer than the leg. A 12-year-old was awed by the ease of a dress cut close to the knee. Boys would play through the streets in short pants or knickers until they moved to adulthood with long pants.
In the 1840s, every woman, regardless of how old, was wearing a crinoline-style shirt, which was pushed to the limits with rigidly starched petticoats that were reinforced by horsehair. Later the lighter hooped crinolines constructed from wire were the fashion.
Since a breeze that blew suddenly could make a skirt balloon and, worst of all, reveal a leg, pantaloons were created. They were roomy, long-leg pants, made of cotton or linen, accomplished well. Soon they were an individual fashion statement with their lace embellishments. With a frilly white lace, that was the start of underwear designed to be noticed.
Gradually, the crinoline and the petticoat started moving from the front towards the back, transforming into the adult smoot. At the same time, young fashion for girls began to take shape in its own style. Girls of the era favored high skirts that were slung over pleated skirts.
The 1880s were when women were sporting slimmer dresses, with skirts worn with a sash that was deeply dropped and tied to the waist. This fashion was the precursor to the distinct style of pouched blouses that emerged from the Edwardian period.
Little by little, children’s clothes started to develop an identity of their own. A growing number of people began to travel, and this was an immense impact on fashion. Tartan gained popularity as a practical and attractive fashion fabric, particularly for school uniforms and kilts.
Children and Nautical Styles
As families trek to the beach to spend their summer vacations, nautical fashions gained popularity. Girls and boys alike included large sailor collars and lines of braided trimming. The styles remained popular until the end of the Edwardian and Victorian periods. Quartermaster jackets with a dick and a fake front required no shirt to be worn underneath.
The first trends in fashion for children continue to grow in popularity. Finally, our children and grandchildren can dress to match their preferences. Their parents and family members pamper them with the current fashions from the moment they’re born. Then, as they progress through lower grades and high school, children are bombarded with TV shows, films, commercials, and movies featuring kids their age who they desire to imitate.
With how fashion changes in the world, families are left scrambling to stay on top of it. The latest fashions are expensive, and if you’ve got more than three kids, it could be a huge blow to your pocket. One way to cut costs is to steer away from shops, malls, and online shopping. Numerous online clothing websites specialize in wholesale clothing for children and designer name-brand clothing. You’ll surely discover unique and stylish clothing that will delight your child and wallet.
Final Verdict
To sum up, fashion for children has changed with time. Certain aspects have remained the same, but other things have changed. There is much to learn from how fashion for children has evolved and is continuing to develop into our style design.