Fashion & Dress · 1881–1900s · London, England

Rational Dress

The dress-reform movement, 1881–1900s

In 1881 a group of London reformers founded the Rational Dress Society to declare war on the fashionable silhouette: the tightly laced corset, the heavy dragging skirt, the tiny high-heeled shoe. Their manifesto was startlingly concrete — no deformed waists, skirts short enough to walk in, and all underclothing to weigh no more than seven pounds. The leading spirit was Viscountess Harberton, Florence Wallace Pomeroy, who wore the cause as literally as she preached it.

The movement drew on older American roots — Amelia Bloomer's 1851 costume of Turkish trousers under a short skirt had given 'bloomers' to the language — but it was the bicycle craze of the 1890s that made rational dress practical and urgent. Women took to 'bicycle suits': bloomers or divided skirts with a tailored jacket. Punch mocked them relentlessly — this 1895 cartoon shows the joke at full tilt: 'My dear Jessie, what on earth is that Bicycle Suit for?' 'Why, to wear, of course.' 'But you haven't got a Bicycle!' 'No: but I've got a Sewing Machine!'

The establishment pushed back hard. In 1898 Lady Harberton cycled to the Hautboy Inn at Ockham in knickerbockers, was refused service for her dress, and sued the innkeeper — and lost. But the direction of travel was set: divided skirts, knickerbockers, and tailored sportswear crept into respectable life, and the rational-dress campaign stands behind every pair of women's trousers worn since.

From the cabinet

The Rational Dress Society was founded in London in 1881; its leading figure was Viscountess Harberton (Florence Wallace Pomeroy).
Its rules were concrete: no waists deformed by tight lacing, skirts no longer than needed for walking, and underclothing weighing no more than 7 lb.
The movement drew on Amelia Bloomer's 1851 American costume — Turkish trousers under a short skirt — which gave 'bloomers' to the language.
The 1890s bicycle craze made the cause practical: women adopted 'bicycle suits' of bloomers or divided skirts, mercilessly mocked in Punch (as in this 1895 cartoon).
In 1898 Lady Harberton was refused service at the Hautboy Inn, Ockham, for cycling there in knickerbockers; she sued the innkeeper and lost.
The campaign paved the way for women's sportswear, divided skirts, and eventually trousers as everyday wear.

Frequently asked

What was rational dress?

The 1881 Rational Dress Society's campaign against the corset, the bustle, and dragging skirts — demanding waists free of tight lacing, walkable skirt lengths, and underclothing weighing no more than 7 lb.

Who was Lady Harberton?

Florence Wallace Pomeroy, Viscountess Harberton — the leading spirit of the Rational Dress Society, who wore knickerbockers herself and in 1898 sued an innkeeper who refused her service for her dress (she lost).

Did rational dress succeed?

Slowly but decisively: the 1890s bicycle craze made 'bicycle suits' of bloomers and divided skirts practical, and the movement stands behind women's sportswear and trousers ever since.