DESIGNING CHANGE: CORSETS, BLOOMERS AND THE DIVIDED SKIRT IN BRITAIN’S RATIONAL DRESS MOVEMENT FROM 1880-1900

Abstract

The Rational Dress Movement was an impactful and revolutionary movement that defined a significant part of women’s dress reforms in the second half of nineteenth-century Britain. While the Rational Dress Movement and development of the rational costume was often attributed to the Rational Dress Society, the main question to be asked in women’s dress reform in Britain from the 1880s-1900 is “who or what, besides the Rational Dress Society, contributed to the progression of the Rational Dress Movement during this period?” Although it is undeniable that the Rational Dress Society contributed vitally to the Rational Dress Movement, other prominent and important figures shaped and influenced the Movement as well. Unfortunately, there was an insufficient amount of credit given to these other actors as their contributions were often side-lined by authors studying this Movement. Therefore, it is crucial to look at the roles of fashion companies, fashion activists, medical professionals, health activists, sportspersons, and schools as they played an important role in the Rational Dress Movement. The Rational Dress Movement confronted two key aspects of women’s fashion – in terms of the impact of certain clothing styles on their health and their participation in sports. This debate encouraged a series of systematic clothing reforms aiming to mitigate the ill effects of fashion on women’s health and to encourage women to participate more freely in sports. To explore the developments of women’s dress reform in Britain from the 1880s to 1900, an archival study of primary sources will be the main methodology adopted in looking at the Rational Dress Movement. These primary sources include gazettes, illustrations, medical journals, fashion exhibits, advertisements, and photographs contemporary to the dress reform movement in Britain.