Title: Colonial Clothing ***
Headings: Colonial Clothing
Colonial Clothing
Colonial Clothing

Content: Long-length, loose linen shirts
Breeches which were short length pants that were fastened at the knee
Socks - long woolen socks were worn
A jerkin which was a sleeveless jacket which could be made of cloth or leather
A doublet which was a padded jacket with sleeves
Belts were sometimes worn
Plain leather shoes, usually without buckles
Hats - often quite large in a variety of style, usually wide-brimmed
Coats or capes were worn as protection from the cold and the rain
Colonial Clothing for Women
The Colonial Clothing worn by Puritan women were also quite heavy and made from materials such as wool and linen. The items of Colonial Clothing worn by Puritan women included the following: Long-length, loose shift which was worn as an undergarment. The sleeves were sometimes removable and could be tied on
The shift was covered by petticoats
Long gowns or skirts with a jacket were worn as the outer clothing
Belts were sometimes worn
Socks - long woollen stockings
Plain leather shoes
All clothes were held in place by tying them with laces
An apron was usually worn over the women's clothes
The women wore their hair long but it would have been deemed unseemly for hair to be shown. Hair was therfore hidden under a close-fitting coif
Coats or capes were worn as protection from the cold and the rain


Colonial Clothing for Children
The clothing of very young children, both boys and girls were simple shifts. The Colonial Clothing worn by children over the age of seven were similar in style to those worn by adults. The items of Colonial Clothing worn by children therefore consisted of smaller versions of the clothes worn by Puritan men and women. Colonial Clothing for Servants
The colonial clothing of servants clung on to the old traditional color of blue clothing as it had been for many years in England. The dye to produce the color blue in England (woad) was cheap and the color blue was always associated with servitude. Colonial Clothing - Sumptuary Laws
English Sumptuary Laws had long dictated what colors and type of clothing individuals were allowed to own and wear - an easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege.