The 20th century was a revolution in children’s dress. Proper childrenswear, such as the all-in-one skeleton suit for boys, and uncorseted empire lines for girls, allowed, at long last, the wearer to actually move.

You may well think pink is for girls and blue is for boys but historically, more often than not, the opposite was true. Instead, boys wore pink because of its associations with the ‘power’ colour red, whilst girls were more likely to be clad in ‘Virgin Mary’ blue.

Until the turn of the 20th century, uncomfortable layers were a staple of children’s clothes: not just to keep warm, but also to protect modesty and add shape to the outer clothes children wore. Sometimes, a few extra layers were just what was needed in a crisis – the memorable e...

Amazingly, denim breeches were worn as early as 1703, and the first ‘jeans’ from the 1840s onwards. The word denim comes from ‘serge de Nîmes’ (literally meaning fabric from Nîmes); whilst ‘jean’ derives from sailors’ pants worn by the Genoese navy. Children started wearing jeans...

Dressing-up clothes took off in the 19th century and are still adored by children, parents and educators everywhere, especially because it is a sure-fire way to spark creativity and encourage imagination through role play. The average dressing-up collection is a ragbag of hand-me...

Amazingly, denim breeches were worn as early as 1703, and the first ‘jeans’ from the 1840s onwards. The word denim comes from ‘serge de Nîmes’ (literally meaning fabric from Nîmes); whilst ‘jean’ derives from sailors’ pants worn by the Genoese navy. Children started wearing jeans...

ONCE UPON A TIME, children’s clothes were made with wide seams and carefully positioned darts, so that nimble-fingered sewers could ensure extended wear in years to come, with a nifty stitch here and a deft tuck there. Thrift is back in vogue, so it’s cool to make do and mend all...

“A child’s appearance has an awful lot to do with his behaviour,” pronounced Women’s Wear Daily in 1966. “Put a girl in a pretty dress and she behaves like a lady. If you put a boy in something he really likes, he will behave like a well-mannered child.” Worn correctly – with tuc...