I took AP US History almost three years ago, and our course, naturally, covered the American Revolution. Though I remember some things from my class, it’s unfortunately not quite as fresh in my mind as I’d like. I probably couldn’t tell you what the Stamp Act of 1775 accomplished or who was in the Continental Congress, but thankfully you’re here for some fashion.

I decided to cover the American Revolution, and only the American Revolution (1775-1783) this week because fashion changed so much in the years after the war and in the years leading into the war. Pre-war fashion was a matter of circumstance, and post-war fashion was a matter of Americans choosing to follow France’s sartorial example in order to avoid being similar to England. The clothes for men and women during the war were still as complex and multi-layered as ever. Suffice to say there’s a lot to get through, so let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Fashion Overview

Men, in 1700s colonial America, wore a loose white shirt, a waistcoat, breeches, stockings, a dress coat, and a cravat. Waistcoats, prior to the 1780s, buttoned to just below the waistline and had a little skirt of extra fabric, and coats were usually long (to about the knee) with tight sleeves and a slightly bigger cuff. Men also traditionally wore boots or low buckled heels and hats that varied based on one’s class and position. Wigs were not generally worn, though, and even powdering one’s hair had gone out of fashion by the 1760s.

Women’s fashion during the American Revolution consisted of a gown and petticoat worn over a second hooped petticoat which kept one’s skirt out, and stays, which were whale-boned undergarments similar to corsets. Of course, the fabrics, dyes, and number of layers of garments depended on the wealth of the lady in question. Many ladies dressed very simply during the war in order to send more money to the American troops. To save money, many women’s dresses had a stomacher, which was a triangular insert of fabric that could be switched out to give the dress a new look.