North American Clothing for kids - from 1500 AD to now - Why did people stop wearing deerskin? Why did people start changing their clothes so much more often? When did girls start to wear pants?

North American Clothing Styles after 1500

Cree jacket
A Cree deerskin jacket

Kids in North America in the 1500's AD wore deerskin dresses or shirts and pants when it was cold, and they mostly went naked when it was warm. Often their moms cut down old worn-out grown-up clothes for their kids to wear, because clothes were so expensive. Grown-up women mostly wore long, loose deerskin shirts, with deerskin shirts under them, or else long deerskin dresses. Their skirts or dresses came down to their knees or a little longer. These clothes were very expensive, so most women only owned one outfit, and in warm weather women often chose to wear less clothes, or maybe just a grass skirt, to save their deerskin clothes for winter.
Most men wore tighter deerskin shirts, with deerskin pants under them. But men also went naked, or mostly naked (with just underwear) when it was warm or they were working hard.
Ninuvak mother and child
In the south-west, though, some Pueblo people wore cotton clothing, which was cheaper and easier to make, and also more comfortable where it was hot. And in the far north, Inuit people wore parkas and anoraks made of sealskin or caribou skin, to keep them warm in the cold weather.


Click here to go on to the 1600's


Click here to find out more about fabrics and weaving and spinning clothes


North American clothing before 1500 AD
North American Economy
Main clothing page
Main North America page (after 1500)
Kidipede - History for Kids home page


LOG IN
LOG OUT
Click here to join the Kidipede Facebook fan club!
Why subscribe to Kidipede?
Buy cool stuff at Kidipede's store!