The History of the Sailor Suit, Part 1

Reposting an old article of mine, originally posted on Your Wardrobe Unlock'd. Please note this article references images that aren't in this repost.

Introduction

Looking through fashion plates form the Victorian era onward, one may find the occasional outfit which sports a V neckline, a large collar or an oceanic theme. The sailor aesthetic may appear on apparel for boys, girls and even adult women. Depending on the era and type of garment, the style may fade in and out of use, but it’s never gone out of style.

With tweaks the cut and material, the sailor outfit can stand up to heavy play, look nice for a formal visit or be just right for a swim. Some outfits bear only a faint resemblance to the original style, using the motifs as a suggestion rather than a checklist of requirements. The sailor suit is also unique in that one can precisely pinpoint the event made the style so popular.

This article will begin with a short history on naval uniforms, before turning to the person who popularized the sailor aesthetic for civilian attire. From there we will examine the anatomy of a sailor outfit, variations and who wore them when, how and in what form.

In the Beginning

The civilian sailor suit has its origins as an adorable variant on British naval uniforms. To get a better understanding of citizen’s clothes, we’ll take a look at the military togs that preceded them.

The first regulation clothing came about for officers in 1748, as a way of denoting rank among officers, as well as to distinguish those who served on land or by sea. These early uniforms had a blue color scheme with white facings, and followed the frock coat and breeches styles of the times. Designs would change over time to reflect civilian style trends.

Uniforms for enlisted personnel weren't standardized until 1857, though from 1778 onwards it was common for officers to impose clothing standards on their ratings, such as what colors to wear. Large collars were first recorded in 1830. It's believed that the collar’s distinctive size and shape emerged for the ease of the men making their clothing, that straight lines were easier to cut and stitch than rounded forms.

The Prince’s Ensemble

Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, had a lifelong reputation for being a clothes horse. He loved looking fabulous, and gave birth to many fashion trends. One of his earliest style crazes was born in 1846, when he was the four-year-old Prince of Wales. While on a cruise, he wore a miniature sailor uniform, and kept it on when he posed for a portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. The painting was wildly successful among the British public. Imitations of the prince’s outfit appeared on other boys, becoming a look that stuck for generations.

The original Prince of Wales outfit is predominantly white, with dark blue and black highlights. The inner most layer seems to be a shirt with a fold down collar, presumably to catch sweat and body oils and spare the rest of the suit the need for laundering. Over the shirt is a generously sized black scarf that is knotted, folded and held in place with ties from the next garment.

Over the shirt is a top with large amounts of ease, possibly designed for the prince to grow into. This piece, known as a middy, has a deep V neck which is framed by a dark blue V shaped collar with three rows of white trim. The back of the collar seems to fall past his shoulders. The middy has blue trim around the armsycthes, and deep fold back cuffs with the same color and trim scheme of the collar.

The Prince’s trousers are the same white as the middy, and both are likely made from the same fabric. It seems to fasten in front with a row of buttons along the Prince’s waist. The pants appear to have a front flap to take care of toileting needs, and pockets for storing small treasures. The ankle length legs seem to flare out from the hip, with hems that seem much wider than his ankles, allowing for plenty of room for an energetic child to move.

Boys in Suits

While there’s an abundance of paintings, fashion plates and photographs of Victorian boys in sailor suits, it’s easier finding images from the 1880s and 90s. While researching this article, the author found only a few examples of boy suits from the 1870s, and another which may date as early as 1850. It’s unclear if it took years for the sailor suit to become popular, or if there are other reasons pre 1880 depictions are scarce.

Along with contemporary imagery, there is a photograph of an extant suit taken by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA for short, and released to the public domain. The Museum states that this wool and silk outfit is from England, circa 1876. The outfit is cream colored with navy blue highlights. It may have been pure white initially, but discolored with age. As with the Prince’s ensemble, the innermost visible layer is a collared shirt.

The middy has a shallower V neck than the Prince’s, as well as a panel that fills in space between the collar of the middy top and of the shirt. The top is darted to fit and has a left breast pocket trimmed with three lines of navy blue. A thick band of blue fabric flanked by narrow blue rows trims the cuffs and waistband. The middy’s collar follows the lines of the V neck, falls past the shoulders, and has at least one corner in the back.

The trousers end just past the knees, with the side of each leg trimmed with two thick blue bands topped with narrow white trim. Mother of pearl buttons fill in the space between the blue trim. A similar button is on the panel above the V neck. A large neck scarf completes the ensemble.

By virtue of the applied bands and the decorative buttons down the sides of the pants, the LACMA outfit seems to be one of the fancier examples of boy’s wear. A fashion plate from the New York Public Library features two sailor suits which seem to be more casual. The first outfit, “No.6,” is described as having “Knickerbocker pants. Sailor blouse, with collar, cuffs and under-vest either trimmed with worsted white braid or else made of blue-and-white striped serge.” The second suit, “No. 7,” has suggestions on how to make it from striped linen, though the description states flannel is also serviceable. Both suits are made without neckties, button down the front, and have little to no embellishment other than stripes.

Also of note is an 1895 photograph of a boy’s cricket team. All the boys wear clothes of different cuts and styles, with at least six wearing sailor suits. Like their teammates, their clothing is rumpled, implying those garments are heavily lived in and possibly made big enough to grow into. One or two of the suits have some braid trim, though for the most part decoration is kept to a minimum.

A few portrait paintings show slightly dressier sailor suits, though not quite to the extent of the LACMA outfit. An 1880 painting by Renoir shows a boy wearing a striped modesty shirt and a middy with braid on the collar and a simple necktie. The left sleeve features bronze colored motifs including a crown above crossed swords, possibly to mimic naval insignia. A portrait made in 1889 of William Charles Knoop shows the boy wearing what appears to be a double collared middy, with one of blue on top of a cream collar that is wider than the first at the shoulders and back.

His modesty shirt is high necked, with barely visible braid along the collar and an image of an anchor on the chest. On his sleeve is a patch featuring a hard to discern shape.

Even in portraits, embellishment on sailor suits were downplayed. There may be rows of braid along the collar and cuffs, and a few examples have one or two nautical motifs. Striped or checked fabric is used in a few fashion plates, though the outfits keep the patterning simple. Chevrons aren’t utilized; the stripes simply go vertical or horizontal rather than play with directions.

The Prince of Wales’s ankle length trousers were more the exception than the rule for sailor suits. Many more examples show boys in pants ending at or below the knee, presumably as sign of their age. A couple of images even feature boys in skirts, probably because they were quite young and required a roomy garment to accommodate their toileting needs. Fashion plates name material like serge, tweed, flannel, worsted and linen as the material that make up the suits. In other words, fabric that is made for everyday wear and tears, suitable for an active child.

From what we can infer, the essence of a sailor suit comes largely from a distinct neckline, collar, scarf and nautical themes. This neck treatment consists of a V neck with a collar framing its lines in front, and dips down in back to form a square shape. An undershirt or panel is used to fill in the chest, for cleanliness, modesty or decorative purposes. A scarf or decorative tie completes the neckline.

Sleeves seem to be a straight tube, with plainly cut with few flourishes in the shape. Decoration may come from a lightly gathered sleeve head, braid application along the armscythe, or other subtle touches. Cuffs receive the most embellishment, usually with contrasting braid echoing trim elsewhere. There are no visible means of fastening the top in place. This may indicate hidden fastenings or that the garment is pulled over the head.

Sailor suits may be white, blue and/or a dark color. Usually there is one major color and a secondary accent color, though other shades may be sparingly used. Embellishment is limited to contrasting bands or braid in the secondary color, or nautical motifs in the accent or tertiary hues.

Spreading style

The sailor outfit did not remain the purview of young boys. Sailor style clothing was made for girls, though when they came in vogue is harder to pinpoint. There is no female equivalent to the Prince of Wales portrait. One of earliest recorded feminine sailor outfit seems to be an engraving by John Henry Walker, dated between 1850 and 1885.

The girl in the image wears a middy and undershirt with lines similar to some of the boy styles. The waist falls past her hips and terminates into a wide band, to which a pleated skirt is attached. It’s a black and white image, and the dominant color of the outfit is dark, with light bands of trim and a light undershirt with a dark collar and anchor motif. No caption or additional information remains with the engraving.

The next earliest sailor clothes date to the mid-1870s. One is a paletot from a fashion with a description stating “Grey velvet cloth trimmed with silk bordering in imitation feathers....Princess in form, and double breasted....The sailor collar is simulated and consisting of rows of lace beaded with ribbons.”

In other words, this garment is far removed from the Prince’s Winterhalter outfit. Rather than being a dress or a skirt and middy ensemble, it’s a coat. The boy’s clothes examined earlier were considered presentable enough to be worn for formal portraits, but were often made of sturdy, low frills material. When silk did appear, it was for accents such as neck ties. The paletot is cut with generous skirts, allowing plenty of leg room, and in a color less likely to show dust, which may accommodate an energetic child. However, its velvet and silk nature, combined with a highly ornamental neckline, say this coat is for a genteel lifestyle.

Another 1870s sailor dress comes from a pattern on the Ladies Treasury website. The original date and month, February 1876, is given, though not the original publisher. The design is called “A kilted suit for a little girl of six years.”

The pattern features the sailor collar, and dark blue is a suggested color. Otherwise the dress stands out from the boy sailor suits. The neckline is high enough to obviate the need for an undershirt or modesty panel. Much of the embellishment doesn’t follow the stripes, anchors or other nautical imagery we’ve seen before. Decoration consists of contrasting fabric forming the cuffs and edging the peplum, collar, hem and center front seam. The bodice seems to be closer fitting than the boys’ outfits, which had more relaxed ease, and the bodice back ends in a peplum. Alpaca, merino and serge are recommended as possible fabrics.

The dark color, modest trim and serge option suggests that this may be a dress for everyday wear. The fashionable cut of the dress and the suggestion of alpaca as a material implies that this frock can also be made to suit fancier occasions. Either way, this dress probably wasn’t made to accommodate running around.

Two fashion plates from 1883 sit on opposite ends of the dressy/casual spectrum. On the everyday end is a dress which seems to borrow many elements from boy’s suits, made to look presentable while accommodating a child’s need to burn off energy. The outfit is made of dark blue flannel, with collar and cuffs made from striped flannel. The choice of material seems to be chosen for warmth and dirt hiding purposes than for fancy occasions. Its skirt seems to be pleated all around, allowing ample leg room, and the middy is bloused at the waist, giving the torso plenty of ease. The neckline is low enough to require a modesty shirt, which is decorated with an anchor and is made of yet more flannel.

The everyday style sailor dress is still a departure from boy’s sailor suits. The neckline of the middy makes a V shape, and is edged with a collar similar to those on boy clothes, but the middy has a wrap front. The accent fabric is striped, but is used for more decorative purposes than on boy clothes. Here, stripes are cut on the bias used to edge the skirt and pocket, and serve as a belt. Even girls on the move, it seems, should dress attractively.

The other 1883 dress is shown from the back, leaving the neckline and other elements a mystery. This dress too has a pleated skirt and a belt, and is “leather colored,” presumably a hue unlikely to advertise dirt. However, the dress is a close fitting princess cut, and the pleats on the skirt look more like rows of deep ruffles. The collar, cuffs and belt-scarf are made from harlequin patterned silk, and the cuffs have white ruffles for extra decoration. The belt is wide, with trailing ends and tassel trim. Between the cut, embellishments and choice of fabric, this dress seems better suited for visits than running and jumping.

Girls seem to get more flexibility when it comes to their sailor ensembles. They didn’t need to adhere to a standard design or fabric selection. Their clothes don’t even need to be dresses, but could serve as coats. Garments could be close fitting or snug, feature solids, stripes or prints, and crafted from silk or serge. Girls’ sailor clothes could be designed for going out in the cold, fancy occasions, or for play. This versatility also feels restrictive in that the boys’ clothes all seem made for energetic children, while the fancier of the girls’ clothes seem better suited for a subdued lifestyle.

All Grown Up

Unlike their daughters and younger sisters, it seems that Victorian women never wore sailor style clothes on the street or going about their daily activities. Before 1900, there doesn’t seem to be any extent examples of women’s sailor dresses, and only one image. Sailor suits on the other hand enjoyed some popularity. When it came to being on the move or taking a dip, the sailor aesthetic seems to be prevalent.

For adult women, sailor ensembles seem to appear later in the nineteenth century, and only in specific informal circumstances. According to Lisha Vidler’s “Rules for Victorian Dressing,” women’s nautical themed outfits were worn when traveling to the seaside, including sailor and other military motifs.

While it’s easy to find images of Victorian children in sailor clothing, searching for the equivalent for adult women is more of a challenge. Aside from the 1890s example provided by Ms. Vidler, there’s an 1875 ensemble on La Couturiere Parisienne. Both of these provide a looser interpretation of the sailor look, with the 1890’s outfit consisting of a jacket rather than a middy, its front edges of said jacket going straight down instead of forming a V-neck.

The 1875 outfit has a V necked bodice with a modesty ruffle, and a broad collar which frames the neckline. Its dominant color is dark blue, is trimmed with bands of contrasting fabric, and has cuff similar to those seen on children’s sailor outfits. The angle the model is standing at obscures the back of the collar, making the sailor motif ambiguous.

While it seems that women rarely wore sailor clothing on the street, the story changes when it comes to bathing and athletic wear. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s online database has a number of sailor themed gym and bathing suits, while other museums and online collections have a smaller but easy to find costumes and fashion plates of similar styles. Most of these sailor outfits date to the 1890s, with one or two bathing wear exceptions.

Gallivanting in the water goes well with sailor motifs and other nautical themes. It’s less clear why the look became popular for gym suits. Perhaps with their generous ease, bloomers gathered to leg cuffs and the occasional coordinating short skirt, bathing and gym suits had a lot in common in terms of design.

This boom in fitness clothes came about as more women grew interested in physical education and started taking on strenuous exercise. Loose cut middy tops allowed room for movement while safeguarding modesty. Extant examples show middies heavily gathered to waistbands, or tucked into the coordinating bloomers, creating a blousing effect and emphasizing a slim waist. One example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art features tuck over the shoulders, adding still more ease and possibly making the bust look larger. Sleeve heads are frequently gathered, though more lightly than the waist, and terminate into a plain sleeve or is taken into a cuff. Sleeve lengths may reach to the wrist, fall below the elbow, or sit somewhere in between.

Design wise, these outfits are either black or dark blue, with V necks that expose the collarbones but don’t dip far enough to reveal cleavage. If modesty shirts were worn underneath, they’re not featured on the mannequins. The collars are self-fabric and follow the lines of the V, but otherwise take on different shapes. Some taper towards the bottom of the neckline, others curve outward, emulating a shawl collar, and still more broaden out to two rectangles flanking the neck, or form a square front. Trim, when it’s present, consist of lines of contrasting braid on the collar and cuffs. Neck scarves seem to be optional and may be self-fabric or of another dark material.

Bloomers are made of the same material as the middies, and may be gathered or pleated at the waist to fit. Large quantities of material are used for these garments, possibly to accommodate a wide range of motion from the hips and knees, as well as to protect modesty when bending. They fall to just below the knees, where they are gathered by drawstring, to a cuff or other means which are hard to tell from photographs. A skirt of the same length and fabric may complete the ensemble.

Victorian bathing costumes tended to be made of wool, which gets heavier when wet. They are less for exercise than for enjoying a simple dip or a few strokes, hence “bathing” rather than “swim” suits. At first glance, bathing and gym suits bear a strong resemblance to one another, with full knee length trousers, dark coloring, and similar aesthetics.

Studying fashion plates soon reveals that bathing costumes tend to have shorter sleeves which seem to fall halfway down the bicep. For ease of changing, bathing suits buttoned down the front. Undershirts and modesty panels appear optional. To remain appropriate for daywear, many of these V necks don’t drop far beneath the collarbones.

A look at fashion plates indicated that sailor style bathing suits changed in cut to follow fashion trends out of the water. A look at bathing suits from the early 1880s show long bodices which end to just above the knees, either darted to shape or with the “waist” closer to the hips, coordinating with the princess dresses and low waistlines in style during the decade. The 1890s saw fuller skirts and suit waists closer to the natural waist.

What ties these suits to the sailor aesthetic are the color schemes, trim and necklines. Extant examples and contemporary colored images show that the most popular color choices by far is blue with white accents.

Sailor designs made an appearance on other sports clothes. One German fashion plate from 1895 shows a woman in a tennis dress, with a blousy top cut to resemble a middy. The fabric is spotted, which makes it unusual for a sailor outfit, though the dress contains many hallmarks of the style. It’s cut with plenty of room in the torso and sleeves, and is trimmed with rows of braid along the collar, cuffs and bands of contrasting cloth. The neckline dips into a V and is filled in with a modesty panel. The collar is broad and square, and the look is finished with a scarf hanging from below the collar.

Adult women wore sailor clothes for specific occasions. When it came to swimming, sailor suits and their nautical theme felt like an appropriate aesthetic. Sailor suits were also adapted into exercise clothing, possibly because so many earlier designs allowed enough ease for heavy activity.

Conclusion for Part 1

The first civilian sailor suit was a miniature version of a naval uniform, worn by a young prince. Though the style seems to have taken decades to catch on, by the late Victorian period, sailor clothes were a common choice for a boy’s wardrobe, be it for a trip to the seaside, playing sports or posing for a portrait. While there were some variations on necklines, color and embellishment, the designs for these sailor suits followed similar outlines.

Sailor clothes also caught on for girls and women, though the styles only sometimes resembled a naval uniform. A young girl may wear silk, velvet or alpaca for her sailor dress, cut to resemble the latest fashion. Her ensemble may not even have a collar, but trim made to simulate one. Her older sister may have worn nautical clothes for a trip to the seaside, or reserved the look for bathing and sportswear. The sailor suit continued to change its aesthetic and expand its use throughout the 20^th century.