{"id":164348,"date":"2018-04-20T07:03:28","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T07:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=164348"},"modified":"2018-04-20T07:03:28","modified_gmt":"2018-04-20T07:03:28","slug":"victorian-womens-cyclewear-the-ingenious-fight-against-conventions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/04\/20\/victorian-womens-cyclewear-the-ingenious-fight-against-conventions\/","title":{"rendered":"Victorian Women\u2019s Cyclewear: The Ingenious Fight Against Conventions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine going cycling in a layered, heavy, floor-length skirt without something going horribly wrong? Of course you\u2019ll immediately think: \u201cWhy would I even do that? Just give me a pair of comfy leggings and get on with it.\u201d Well, not an option if you happened to be a female cyclist living during the 1890s. So, if you wanted to ride on, you had to get cunning.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nowadays, we already know how cumbersome and impractical female conventional Victorian garments really were but any physical activity at that time made it even more obvious. Cycling became hugely popular among middle- and upper-class citizens in the late 19th century, men and women alike. And while the role of a bicycle in women\u2019s rights and liberation has been (and still is) explained many times, less is known about the fashion-related struggles women had to face. The skin-tight button-up petticoats stifled the ribcage and the flowing skirts got caught in spokes and around pedals, resulting in many a serious injury. You might think that just hitching up the skirt or simply riding in one\u2019s bloomers would solve the problem but it\u2019s the 1890s we\u2019re talking about. In the Victorian era, women were under scrutiny because of their apparel, which was supposed to reflect the highest moral standards \u2013 modesty and virtue. Many a woman encountered insults and even things thrown at her by onlookers who felt threatened by the sight of such a rebelling \u201cdress reform\u201d. Oftentimes, they rode in their full daily wear about town while later changing to more \u201cradical\u201d garments for less crowded areas to avoid harassment.<\/p>\n

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But female cyclists didn\u2019t plan on parting with their bikes so they got creative. The cyclewear problem became so mobilising for women that the mid-1890s era marked the entry of women into the world of patents. Thanks to female inventors who got their ideas down on paper and patented, we now know about clever concealed converting technologies inside skirts, including pulley-systems, gathering cords, button and loop mechanisms, and more.<\/p>\n

A dressmaker from Brixton, Alice Bygrave, filed a UK patent for \u201cImprovements in Ladies\u2019 Cycling Skirts\u201d in 1895. Her system included a set of pulleys sewn into the front and rear seams of a skirt, which adjusted its length according to the wearer\u2019s (societal) needs. This novelty became hugely popular in the UK and subsequently made its way to Canada, USA, Switzerland, and even Australia.<\/p>\n

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Julia Gill, a court dressmaker from north London, registered her convertible cycling skirt in 1895. Her skirt was foldable upwards thank to a series of hidden rings and a cord into what Gills called the \u201csemi-skirt\u201d. The inventor also recommended combining the skirt with some rather splendid \u201cfluted or vertical frilled trowsers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mary and Sarah Pease, sisters from Yorkshire, submitted their patent for an \u201cImproved Skirt, available also as a Cape for Lady Cyclists\u201d in 1896 and it was exactly as described. This was one of the more radical designs of that time because the skirt came off the body completely and covered the woman\u2019s body as a cape while pedalling.<\/p>\n

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The most elaborate and unusual on our list has to be Henrietta M\u00fcller\u2019s three-piece tailored suit patented in 1896. An intricate convertible design of an A-line skirt, a jacket, and an all-in-one undergarment combining a blouse and bloomers. The whole model could be comfortably adjusted by a system of loops and buttons and looked stylish no matter the occasion. And, as a complete novelty, it also came with pockets.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying that while primary concerns of these ingenious inventors were safety and comfort, the underlying issue was strongly political and was meant to drive societal changes and gender perceptions. It\u2019s proof that a revolution doesn\u2019t have to be shouted from the rooftops. Sometimes, it might be putting an awful lot of work into just not being seen I order to live one\u2019s life in peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine going cycling in a layered, heavy, floor-length skirt without something going horribly wrong? Of course you\u2019ll immediately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":143107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[334],"tags":[1899,1900,1898],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-164348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-victorian-cycling","tag-victorian-fashion","tag-victorian-womens-cyclewear"],"yoast_head":"\nVictorian Women\u2019s Cyclewear: The Ingenious Fight Against Conventions - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can you imagine going cycling in a layered, heavy, floor-length skirt without something going horribly wrong? 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