Union Suits

In today’s society fashion has become a highly talked about subject knowing what is in style and what isn’t has been a force upon us. If you are looking for a garment that is comfortable and supplies warmth then maybe you should look into purchasing a union suit.

What is a Union Suit

A union suit is a kind of one-piece long underwear that would remind you of long johns. This garment was created in Utica, New York and it began as women’s wear as an option when wearing garments that were too constricting.

This garment would soon catch the eye of men and become popular with them as well. Union suits were first patented in 1868 and were worn by union soldiers under their clothing. These garments were normally red flannel with long sleeves and legs that had a flap in the back for convenient when using the rest room without the need of removing the garment and it buttoned down the front.

The union suit was utilized by most, well into the 20th century and as time passed this garment became less popular for the average person but remained popular among men working in certain professions where the extra warmth was needed.

In the 1800s textile companies opened organizations that made union suits and these garments were worn by men, women and children as underwear. They were at their most popular during the Civil War in which the soldiers would use them but the name was developed because of the union of two pieces; tops and bottoms.

The union suit was patented with a double layered material that would not get you overheated when it was warm but was excellent protection against severe weather. The material was made up of a cotton linen as the inner layer with wool or silk as the outer layer. This is why it was so popular in the West and for folks during trapping time in the 1800. Mountain men found them useful as well as explorers. It is also said that these garments were used by Native Americans that included the Shoshone and Crow.

Today the union suit is considered to be the butt of the joke (pun intended) because of the flap at the butt. These union suits can also be found in a variety of colors and fabrics, including silk and fleece today.

You can tune in to such shows as the Wild Wild West and Rugrats a children’s cartoon and they depict the union suits. These garments were also used in Britain but were called combinations instead of union suits.

It is common that when you see a union suit on television or the big screen that it is in conjunction with some type of humor. But there are also those individuals that still prefer the comfort and warmth of union suits today because
they are better than the two piece garments. And who doesn’t love their footsy pajamas that are considered a variation of the union suit.

These garments are available today priced at $20 or more which is a far increase of where they started at .10 cents per union suit.