They didn't have men's ready-to-wear clothing in this time period. You couldn't just walk into a clothing store and buy something off the rack. Okay, so the tailor would cheat a bit by having suit pieces pre-cut and embroidered so they could be tailored to an average-sized customer(which Allan is not). This was because the gentleman would want his coat quickly! As in, a few days, a week perhaps. At the same time, gentlemanly pride wouldn't be content with a premade coat. Also, accessories were sold separately. Hats, shoes, wigs, lace cuffs, gloves, buttons, etc- were all specialty items in separate shops, although these could be bought off the shelf unless you wanted them made to order.
Ladies' options were a bit different. Again, clothing was not bought off the rack, but it all depended on money. A lady of high fashion with deep pockets would go to the mantua maker and have fabulously expensive garb made to order. A more typical lady would buy bolts or yards of fabric, and tell her seamstress what to make. Ladies of modest means would buy fabric and sew clothes for themselves. Any lady might buy plain hats and sew on their own ribbon and flowers, and similar creative projects.
Clothing for children was not purchased new or made to order; rather it was sewn by female relatives or family servants, as far as I can tell. Swaddling for infants, nightgown-like garments with leading strings until they're toilet trained, imitations of adult styles after that. These children were not "out" in society, so function was more important than fashion until they were near adulthood.
I'm not making much progress here lately. You can probably tell by the way the coloring's gotten so crappy. Around mid-January I'll probably need to take a week off. Or I may need to drop back to 2 pages a week for a few months. New round of medical bills this week. Worried about money, as usual, and worry kills creativity.
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