Clothing

=Colonial Clothing=

During Colonial times, the way you dressed told a lot about you. It said, what you did for a living and where your status was within your community. Clothing was homemade by the woman of the house. They would use homemade linens, wool, and sometimes leather to create the fabric. They would spin linen from flax and wool yarn from sheep fleece. There wasn't a vast variety of colors in Colonial times, so the women had to make do with what they could find. Most women used nuts, berries, roots, or bark to dye the cloth. The colors created by those common things were usually a dull green, brown or a mottled gray. Usually, the wealthier people in the community ordered expensive fabrics from England, such as silk or velvet.

Men wore long linen shirts with wool breeches that were gathered at the knee. The also wore long knit stockings, and simple leather shoes, boots, or moccasins. For formal events, me wore a long vest and jacket over a simple shirt and a stock, tied at the neck. In the winter, men wore leather leggings, wool mittens, and an overcoat. Wealthier men wore brightly colored coats, and shirts with lace cuffs and ruffles. They also had silk hose and linen handkerchiefs. Fashionable men often wore wigs in Colonial times. Men wore long flowing wigs, until the early 1700's when men wore small wigs, that were tied in back with a bow. Those men who worked in the fields, wore hats made straw. Tradesmen and Laborers often wore caps, however the most popular style was the cocked hat.

Women wore dresses of linen or wool, a petticoat, and a shift (long linen undergarment). Their dresses wore low necked dresses that fit tightly at the waist and above, due to a corset. The usually trimmed the dress with lace at the neck and sleeves. Underneath the dress, a women would wear a wire hoop, to keep their dress up. Adult women wore some kind of head covering, whether it was indoors or outdoors. During the winter months, women wore a cape or a hooded cloak. A wealthy woman's shoes were usually decorated with expensive things, such as silver or silk. In Colonial times, women had long hair that was pinned in a bud or braid. Fashionable women let one or two curls hang to their shoulders or piled their hair on large frameworks.

Also, Slaves in this time period were not well clothed. Their clothing depended on the wealth of the family. They would wear pieces of old clothing, given to them by their "masters." If their " "masters" were not nice enough to give them old clothing, the slaves would just wear a cloth tied around their waste.



An example of Colonial dress.



An Example of Colonial wigs worn by men.



An example of a Colonial woman's hair.