Clothing was difficult to make. Wealthy individuals were the only one's who could afford to buy finished clothing. Middle class and poor individuals usually had to make their own. Middle class and poor children's clothing was usually made to fit loosely so that the children had room to grow in them. Wool was the main (material) that the poor used to make their garments.
Young boys dressed the same as young girls until the age of five or six. Both wore loose fitting gowns and slippers. When the children turned five or six, boys received their first pair of breeches (pants) and boots.
Most middle and upper class men wore a suit which consisted of various parts of clothing. The suit consisted of:
Shirt- this article of clothing was worn closest to the skin. It was made of white linen, the shirt tails reached almost to the knees and were tucked into the man's breeches.
Breeches - a type of button-up pants that stops just below the knees.
Waistcoat - today this piece of clothing is known as a vest. It is worn over the shirt.
Coat - over the shirt was worn a coat that was well-fitting and reached down to the knees.
Stockings - a type of sock that reached up to the knee under the breeches and was made of silk, cotton, linen, or wool.
Shoes - those for fashion had straight soles and were not shaped either for the left or right foot.
Hat - one of the most fashionable hats of the mid to late 1700's is the three-cornered hat made of felt.
Wigs - The 1700's marked the century when wigs were most fashionable in America. The Full-Bottomed Periwig is a wig that has a cascade of curls. It was the most popular wig in the early part of the 18th century. The size of the wig that a man wore decreased as the 18th century progressed. As well, the variety of wigs increased to the point where the majority of individuals who wanted to wear a wig could by the mid 1700's. At the very end of the 18th century, wig wearing started to decline by the young and fashionable. Wigs were made of human, horse, goat, or yak hair and the style of wig and the material from which it was made changed with personal preference, fashion, and sometimes profession.