The Russian Boy's Suit

From about 1900 to 1925, a popular suit for boys was the "Russian Blouse" or "Buster Brown" suit. This type of suit consisted of a tunic style top, often with buttons in front and with a belt around the waist or hips. This was worn over straight knee trousers or gathered "knickerbockers."

Patterns for these suits are not too hard to come by. Boys generally wore these suits from ages 2-6, sometimes even up to 8. The collar and front-opening variations were many, from sailor-type to double-breasted, asymmetrical or pleated. They often had a tie or large bow around the neck.

There are many vintage images of little boys in these adorable suits. Here are some to enjoy:

This little fella is handsome in his suit with straight trousers and the requisite black stockings. I like the bodice detail on this suit.

It was also common to see these suits in white- maybe more of a summer style? I love this little guy's shoes with the 2 straps. What about that haircut??

This little fella is so cute! He has curls like my Andy- I'll have to try combing Andy's hair like that! I like this lighter gingham suit with white collar and trim. It also has short sleeves, which seems to be less common that long sleeves on these suits.

Here's a suit with an overlapped front. I can't tell what type of fabric this stripe is.
I would like to make one of these suits for my little Andy. It is on my LIST! What do you think of these suits?