Girl's Clothes. Girls from poorer families tended to wear plainer dresses and skirts, made from heavier and more hard-wearing cloth.

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1 Girl's Clothes Two young girls dressed for a spring day walk in the park during 1916 A young girl in the early 1900s wore a knee-length dress, or a high-collared blouse and knee-length skirt, matched with socks and sandals, shoes or ankle boots. Whites, creams and pastel shades were all popular colours. Light and floaty dresses, made from materials like silk were particularly popular for formal occasions. Cotton and linen suited everyday summer clothes and wool was used for warmer winter clothes. Outfits were often decorated with lace around the collars or cuffs, as well as dainty bows of ribbon. Girls often wore ribbons in their hair, to keep their curls or plaits in place. Outdoors, girls wore knee-length coats or capes. On her head, a girl might wear a bonnet, or in summer, a flat, round, straw hat called a 'boater'. Girls were expected not to do anything where they might get dirty. School uniform Girls would often wear cotton pinafores that went over their dresses to keep them clean Straw boaters were often part of the uniform at schools where richer people sent their children. Girls from working families mostly went to 'board schools', which did not have uniforms. School uniforms only became popular at these schools in the 1920s. Girls from poorer families tended to wear plainer dresses and skirts, made from heavier and more hard-wearing cloth. Most girls would often cover their dresses with a 'pinafore', a white cotton apron that went over their shoulders, to keep the dress clean.

2 Girls wore their hair long. By the age of 16 or 17, a girl would pin her hair on the top of her head in a bun, or a swirling, curled, adult style. In the war years, it was fashionable for girls to wear their hair in a bun, or tied back with a big bow ribbon. Some of these 'big bows' were enormous. Boy's Clothes Sailor suits were popular for younger upper and middle class boys to wear. Older boys wore clothes much similar to what their father would wear Boys in the early 1900s wore short jackets. One popular style was the 'Norfolk jacket', which was made of tweed and had lots of pockets. Under his jacket, a boy wore a waistcoat to keep warm. Knitted woolly jumpers or 'sweaters' weren't seen as much as they are now but started to be worn a lot more during and after World War One. Boys wore petticoats or dresses, like their sisters, until they were around three or four years old. Young boys wore knee-length, baggy shorts and long woollen socks. Older boys wore trousers. Both outfits were teamed with sturdy leather boots. There was a fashion for dressing very young boys from rich families in navy blue 'sailor suits'. Eton collars Wide collars called 'Eton collars' were fashionable for boys. It was also fashionable for upper and middle class boys to wear stiff, detachable collars which folded flat over the tops of their jackets or waistcoats. They were called 'Eton collars' because they imitated the uniform of the boys at the wealthy Eton College. Working class boys usually wore collarless shirts with a V-neck woollen pullover. Uniforms were mostly worn at schools where richer families sent their children. Boys from poorer families went to 'board schools', which did not

3 have uniforms. School uniforms only became popular at these schools in the 1920s. Outdoors, boys from working families wore flat caps with peaks. Boys from richer families might wear their school caps, or in warm weather, round straw hats called 'boaters'. Boys had their hair cut short, especially at the back of the neck and around the ears. Women's clothes Outdoors, women would wear long woollen coats, some with fur collars, and a large 'cartwheel' hat A well-dressed woman in the early 1900s wore an ankle-length dress or skirt. Dresses either had long, puff sleeves, or shorter sleeves that ended at the elbow. The collars and cuffs were often fringed with lace. Dark skirts were worn with a lacy, long-sleeved white blouse. Short-sleeved evening dresses were worn with long gloves. Women wore flat shoes or leather ankle-boots. High heel shoes only became popular after World War One. Outdoors, a woman in the early 1900s wore an ankle-length coat that came in tight at the waist. If it was very cold, she would pull a woollen shawl around her shoulders. Women often also wore a big hat, nicknamed a 'cartwheel' because the brim was so wide. Hats would be decorated with piles of feathers, artificial flowers and fruit, or even a whole bird! Poorer families During the war years women's clothes became simpler in design and more practical to wear A woman from a poorer family wore a white blouse and an ankle-length plain skirt, with an apron tied around her waist. To keep warm, she'd add a woollen shawl, probably one she had knitted herself.

4 Outdoors, women from poorer families wore hats too - lacy bonnets, or smaller and less flashy versions of the fine ladies' hats. Women kept their hats on indoors when visiting someone or going to church. Women wore their hair piled up high on the tops of their heads in a 'bun' shape. They might wrap their hair around a small, stuffed cushion, known as a 'rat', to make their bun look more luxuriant. Some hairstyles were kept in place with long metal hair pins. Men's clothes A well-dressed man in the early 1900s wore a suit with a jacket. For formal occasions he would wear a black or grey knee-length jacket, called a 'morning coat' or 'frock coat.' He teamed this with striped trousers and shiny leather boots. His shirt had a 'wing collar' that stood up stiffly around his neck, so he had to hold his head up at all times. To keep warm, he wore a waistcoat under his jacket. He kept a pocket watch in one pocket of his waistcoat and wore the watch chain across his stomach. His outfit was completed by a dark coloured cravat tied around his collar, or a tie similar to those worn today. When outside, he wore a bowler hat and carried a walking stick. Top hats were worn for formal or important occasions. In summer he might change his outfit for a stripy blazer and a flat, round, straw hat called a 'boater'. A sporting man might wear a short tweed jacket, called a 'Norfolk jacket', along with 'plus-fours', knee-length baggy tweed shorts. Changing fashions-flat caps and bowler hats

5 Working men wore flat caps with peaks. They would touch their caps, or take off their hats to greet people in the street. Round-topped 'bowler' hats were beginning to catch on as well. But fashions were changing, shorter jackets and turn-down shirt collars were beginning to catch on. By the end of the war, frock coats, wing collars and top hats were seen as very old-fashioned. Working men wore short jackets, baggy, dark trousers, shirts without collars and waistcoats. On their heads, they wore flat caps with peaks. They did not wear their hats indoors, and took them off in church, as a sign of respect. Men in Queen Victoria's time often had long hair and beards or whiskers. By 1914, it was fashionable for men to have short hair. Many of them shaved off their beards or kept a shorter beard with a moustache. Some men sported handle bar moustaches with waxed ends. Clothes in the early 1900s A group of smartly dressed people standing outside a tailors shop in England In the early 1900s, people covered up more than we do today. Women and girls never wore trousers and women kept their legs hidden with long dresses or skirts. Men and boys often kept their coats, jackets and ties on, even in hot weather. People from every social class usually wore hats when they were outside. Children's clothes were usually miniature versions of grown up's clothes. Clothes were made from natural materials, such as wool or linen. Materials used for today's clothes, such as nylon and polyester, did not exist. There were no zippers on the market yet and Velcro hadn't been invented so clothes were fastened by buttons, hooks or laces. Jeans were unknown in the British Isles and the closest things to trainers were canvas slippers with rubber soles known as plimsolls. Shoes and boots were made from leather and were kept on the feet with laces or buttons. Church clothes

6 Families wore their 'Sunday best' for special occasions and to attend church People wore 'Sunday best' to church once a week. This would be their smartest, cleanest clothes - if they could afford it, people kept a beautiful dress, or a smart suit, just to wear on Sundays. In an age before washing machines, clothes had to be washed by hand in a tub of hot, soapy water. Shirts had removable collars so that if the collar was grubby but the shirt was clean(ish), it could be swapped for a clean one. Soap In the 1900s people used carbolic soap to wash their clothes. This was the same soap that was used to wash people and the kitchen floor! There were a lot of very poor people in Britain. Their clothes were often ragged and patched. Children would wear 'hand-me-downs' - their brothers' or sisters' old clothes. Second-hand clothes that had once belonged to adults were also cut down to fit them. In some of the poorest families the children had no shoes at all. They had to wear their plimsolls or go barefoot, even in winter.