51 Colonial Clothing Facts: Men And Women's Clothing Details Revealed

Each colonial inhabitant wore clothing that reflected their employment, wealth, and social standing.

Puritans made up the majority of the early colonists. Their clothes matched their belief system, which was firmly based on simplicity and modesty.

For us now, the garments they wore on a daily basis would be deemed hot, heavy, and uncomfortable. Depending on the occasion and the weather, the colonial styles would change.

This is similar to earlier historical periods when your social rank was determined by your appearance and clothing style. Luxury imported fabrics like satins, silks, and brocades could be afforded by those with more money.

Colonists with a limited budget would instead make their own clothing from homespun linen, cotton, or wool. During the colonial era, farming families represented a more common way of life.

There were even other customs that dictated the acceptable attire for various occasions. In most cases, the distinction between formal and casual attire was much greater than it is today.

Fashion trends occurred during the colonial times, and they were heavily inspired by patterns brought back from Europe, particularly London. Most colonists still wanted to dress in the most up-to-date trends available in European fashion centers, despite the fact that they were still in the process of uniting their new country.

What is colonial clothing?

Colonial clothing was highly influenced by the way the settlers wanted to represent them.

• All clothes included in the inventories of the colonization firms are distinguished by their wear quality, and the terms 'heavy cloth' and' strong durable stuff' are frequently used.
• Religious restrictions on clothing were also enacted, representing some of the areas of contention that led to the English Civil Wars.
• Plain clothing and opulent clothing became, in effect, the Puritan and Cavalier icons in America, just as they had in England.
• The English Sumptuary Laws controlled what colors and types of clothes people may own and wear for a long time, making it simple to differentiate rank and privilege.
• The Puritans wore dark colors in their colonial clothing.
• Russet (a reddish-brown color), black, gray, brown, green, dull pale yellow and blue were among the colors used in Puritan colonial clothing.

Origin of Colonial Clothing

English colonists preferred to follow English fashions in the first part of the 18th century, but the American Revolution changed that.

• Northern and western European settlers colonized North America.
• These earliest settlers brought with them dress habits and concepts that were typical of their home countries, but their clothing was also impacted by the climate of the region of colonial America.
• Puritan clothing was completely different from the clothing worn by other individuals in England in the early colonial time.
• The wealthy liked velvets, satins, and silks, which were exceedingly elaborate in England.
• Their clothes were embellished with long sleeves, frills, lace, buttons, and ribbons.
• Plain and simple colonial clothing was a public statement of the Puritans' values, which included the concept of simplicity.
• Puritans were rigorous and austere in their religion, lifestyle, and behavior.

Women's Clothing in The Colonial Period

Women's everyday clothing in colonial times was far from lavish.

• Women's clothing was thick and mostly wool and white linen were worn daily.
• Women put on a long flowing short gown made of linen first when getting dressed.
• Sleeves were detachable and fixed on occasion. Over them, they wore a long wool or linen gown. Over that, they wore a simple apron. Ties were used to keep all of their garments in place.
• Women wore long woolen socks and plain leather shoes, the same as the men.
• All clothing was fastened with laces, and an apron usually covered a large portion of the dress.
• Stays made of whalebone and lined with linen were worn by the daughters of rich families.
• Stays were worn with dress apparel by girls as young as three months old since it was thought that this type of dress clothing would aid with posture.
• Women wore their hair long, pushed back, and hidden under a coif. The women and girls wore their hair long, but it would have been considered impolite to expose it.
• As a result, hair was buried beneath a tight-fitting coif. It was designed to fit snugly against their heads in order to keep their hair from becoming a source of pride or boastfulness.
• The dress was the type of clothes that were considered formal.
• Women wore formal attire and heavily embellished linen garments. They wore this style of dress to church and other important occasions the majority of the time.
• Undress clothes referred to clothing that was worn on a daily basis. These were simply everyday clothes that people wore at work and at home.
• Working-class daughters did not wear stays with their everyday attire since they impeded movement. Girls, like their moms, always wore mob hats.

Men's Clothing In The Colonial Period

Men's clothing in those times was according to their financial and social status.

• Colonial men wore heavy wool and white linen clothing with leather accents.
• They wore plain leather shoes, wide-brimmed hats, a bow tie, and a padded jacket or cape to keep them warm and dry.
• The shirts were all white. The rest of their attire was either brown or black. Their breeches, or short pants that clasp just below the knee, were worn with long linen shirts.
• Woolen socks were knee-length, and a leather jerkin, or vest, was frequently worn over the shirt.
• A doublet is a padded garment with sleeves. One of the most popular types of neckwear was the cravat.
• The majority of the men wore cravats. A cravat was a long white linen strip that was wrapped around the neck several times and then tied at the front.
• Many men donned caps and the tricorne hat (a specific popular type of hat) as well.
• The tricorne hat, which was folded up on three sides to make it easy to carry, was the most popular form of a hat. The rest of their attire was either brown or black.
• While dressing for formal occasions, to make their shoulders and thighs appear larger, wealthy men would occasionally stuff their clothes with rags or horsehair.
• To deal with the scorching summer heat, all men, regardless of their position, wore informal attire. Because of their light, airy nature, linen and cotton were the textiles of choice. These easy-to-clean textiles were ideal for everyday items like socks.
• Men's clothing was different during the winters. During cold weather, the men wore cloaks over their coats.
• It was usually composed of thick wool. The banyan was a robe worn by rich men at home over their shirts. It was more pleasant to wear than a coat.

Did You Know...

In colonial America, simple shifts were worn by very young boys and girls. Children's clothing in colonial clothing times was identical to that worn by adults. Girls wore gowns, hoops, aprons, and stomachers. Babies, too, were swaddled tightly. As a result, children's colonial clothing comprised of miniature replicas of the clothing worn by Puritan men and women.

• Colonial servants wore blue, as was customary in England. Because woad, a blue dye used to color textiles, was inexpensive, it has long been associated with servitude.
• In colonial America, servants wore blue to distinguish themselves from the rest of the colonists.
• Puritan attire did not have any bright colors. They dressed in subtle shades of red, brown, black, green, and blue.
• White was utilized in the collars, cuffs, and aprons to symbolize purity. Clothing colors were frequently symbolic.
• Black was popular because it not only symbolized simplicity, but it was also inexpensive to create.
• The servants wore blue to symbolize heavenly grace, and gray to represent fasting, prayer, and repentance.
• The red tones represented bravery, while the brown tones represented humility and poverty.
• Because of its existence in nature, green symbolized life regeneration, while soft yellow evoked sentiments of rejuvenation and hope.
• The style of colonial military uniforms differed depending on the wearer's allegiance.
• Because of the distinguishing red coat they wore, those who pledged their allegiance to the British were known as the Redcoats.
• The costume also included breeches, a waistcoat, and a tricorn hat. Cuffs were worn around the wrists and a lace jabot was placed around the neck.
• The legs were covered in black spatterdashes, which protected them from water and mud stains.
• Serge was the most often used fabric for curtains and upholstery, as well as garments. Serge is made of twilled wool that lasts a long time.
• Linsey-woolsey was a coarse, durable fabric created from a blend of linen and wool. It was a popular choice for clothes due to its durability.
• Most homes lacked the necessary machinery to spin wool into yarn or weave yarn into textiles, so they had to buy the supplies to make their own garments.