Two piece button together buster suit for a young boy, manufacturered under the Utility scheme by Tick-a-Tee Kiddies Wear, 1948.

Buster suit in orange coloured cotton with a blue plaid trim.

An orange cotton fabric shirt with a collar that buttons on to a pair of matching shorts. The shirt has a rounded Peter Pan-style collar, with short sleeves, and blue cream and orange piping down the front button panel, collar and shirt sleeves. There are two pleated vents in the front of the shirt to aid movement. The shirt fastens at the front with three buttons. there are six more buttons around the waist, two at the front, two at the side and two at the back that fasten to the shorts. The proper right hand side button is odd, a white pearlescent design, the rest of the buttons are a dull yellow colour and are ridged with concentric circles. Inside the shirt at the back of the collar are two separate labels, NE bearing the utility scheme CC41 mark, and the other the manufacturers' label, Tick-A-Tee Kiddies Wear.

A pair of orange cotton shorts with a fall flap opening at the front. The shorts attach to the shirt with six buttons, four at the front and two at the back which have a piece of elastic inbetween them for extra stretch.

Given by Angela Coubrough

This buster suit, one of four donated, were worn by two brothers, Gerald and James in 1948. Buster suits were given to the museum by James Coubrough's wife, Angela.

Buster suits were typically worn by young boys and were particularly popular during the 1920s and 1930s although, as with this example, were still being worn in the 1950s. They are a form of romper suit and comprise a closely fitting shirt and a pair of shorts that attach together at the waist, usually with buttons. Buster suits bear a similarity to the button on trousers of skeleton suits, a garment worn by boys in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and described by Charles Dickens in 'Sketches by Boz' in 1836.

B.91:1,2-2011