In 1849, advocates of reform dress for women advised them to don “Turkish dress.” This meant wearing billowy trousers that ended below the knee under a shorter dress.
William Dressler composed “The Bloomer Waltz” in 1851. When Elizabeth Smith Miller wore bloomers while visiting Amelia Bloomer from Temperance Society, press began referring to them as bloomers; women’s rights reformers claimed they were healthier alternatives to restrictive corsets and dress styles popular at that time. A few women including Civil War doctor Mary Walker donned these trousers but it never really caught on among the general population.
By the 1890s, bloomers had made a comeback as both safety and modesty measures for women wanting to ride bicycles. According to this illustration from an 1895 Puck magazine, both men and women wore bloomers.
At the turn of the 20th century, women’s colleges adopted bloomer style clothing for female athletic teams like this basketball squad from Smith College (found on Wikipedia). Bathing suits of early 20th century also featured this bloomer look.
Bloomers were still fashionable among women attending gym classes into the mid-20th century – proudly showing the forward thinking women from 1850 who led by example! They would no doubt take great pride in knowing they were trendsetters!
