Otherwise titles Colonial Clothing 101.

What DID people wear in the 1700’s? Do we even know? The answer is YES! We actually know quite a lot about what our forefolk (forefathers and foremothers) were wearing.

Colonial clothing is interesting. It is fashionable and functional. What’s interesting is that different social status is displayed not in different fashion choices but the quality of the fabric. It gets even more interesting because you might think silk would be an indication of wealth but a fine printed cotton might be worth more.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Colonial clothing is fascinating but let’s do a brief overview and then get to the video!

What did Colonial Men wear

Short answer for men’s colonial clothing? Breeches, a shirt, a waistcoat, and a coat. Top with a cravat and a tricorne hat, add stockings and shoes and voila!

Now the quality of the materials is what counted and where you would see wealth. The shirt was ridiculously long and acted as a shift (see colonial underwear)

It should be mentioned here that the term waistcoats can be very confusing to us modern folks. It’s a vest. A long fitted, stylish vest. This waistcoast could be wool, silk, decorated, or plain. Want examples? Thomas Jefferson wore fancy ones. Worker bees like the tradesmen did not.

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