SPORTS SHE WROTE
A Time-Capsule of Primary Documents Written by Women in the 19th Century
31 Volumes – 10,000 Pages – 2,500 Articles – 1,500 Images – 500 Authors
Home – About – Authors – Ball Sports – Columnists – Cycling – Equestrianism – Fashion – Outdoor Sports – Physical Fitness – Water & Ice – Contact
1 Fashion Volume
Nearly every volume in the Sports She Wrote series contains multiple references regarding what women should wear while playing ball games, exercising, swimming, skating, hunting, riding a horse, pedaling a bicycle, and performing other physical activities. This volume is reserved for articles that dwell almost exclusively on athletic fashions that are not included in other volumes.
A wide array of sportswear is described in 124 articles written by 80 women, with 130 images showing the effect of sports and games on the dress reform movement—which may have been the most enduring and impactful result of 19th century women’s athletics.
As the Victorian fashion scene clung to restrictive garments—long skirts, tightly-laced corsets, pointed shoes, and high collars—athletic women rebelled against social norms, triggering a revolution that left an indelible mark on fashion history far beyond the fields of play. It is fair to say that every woman’s closet today reflects the athletic costume innovations of the late-1800s. From tennis shoes, sweaters, pants, and shorts, to bathing suits, leggings, leotards, and form-fitting jackets, this collection brings to light the inception of styles that have seamlessly woven themselves into contemporary wardrobes.
Navigating the nuanced world of fabrics, colors, and patterns, athletic women faced a confluence of factors—Dame Fashion’s dictates, societal sanctions, and the watchful eyes of friends and family. The quest for suitable attire spurred contests sponsored by newspapers and clothing designers, in which the public submitted costume designs for cycling, swimming, and other sports. These articles encapsulate the spirit of competition, showcasing the intricate dance between fashion and function in the cultural landscape.
No activity was more obsessed with fashion than cycling, which required women to perch on a seat and use their legs to propel the machine. This was impossible in typical Victorian dresses. When some women began wearing bloomers and knickerbockers the public outcry was intense. Removal of the horizontal support post of the bike frame (creating the drop-frame “girl’s bike”), was intended to permit women to retain their skirts, but drawbacks included the additional weight of metal tubing needed to compensate for the weakened frame, and skirts getting tangled in the chain sprocket. While most of the contentious debate about women’s cycling costumes is retained in the nine cycling books in the Sports She Wrote series, several overflow articles are presented herein to provide a flavor of the discussion and the level of detail offered by the contributors.
Swimwear was also a serious matter for public debate. Although the most risqué fashions of the century exposed very little bare skin, they did reveal the contours of a woman’s body, particularly when wet, and that was scandalous in itself. Safety was a major argument in favor of eliminating layers of swimwear. Many women drowned because they were dragged underwater by the weight of their dresses. In some tragic shipwrecks nearly all the victims were women who died not far from shore but were unable to stay afloat due to their hoop skirt cages, useless bustles, layers of petticoats, weighty fabrics and high-button shoes.
Tennis was another contributor to the athletic dress reform movement as skirts and sleeves became shorter and high collars were eliminated to permit running and swinging the arms freely. The most universal impact of tennis fashion was the shoes, which are now in everyone’s closet. Shoemakers offered the familiar rubber soles with canvas uppers, tied with laces, in a variety of colors.
Women’s feet were tortured by restrictive footwear styles before sports and outdoor recreation. Pointed toes, thin soles and unnatural heels squeezed and deformed women’s feet in a manner that some compared to Chinese foot-binding. The advent of square-toed walking shoes with thick soles permitted a level of comfort that sacrificed form for function. Women still donned uncomfortable footwear in fashionable social gatherings but at least gained the option for reasonable comfort during physical activities.
Golf similarly required alterations in fashion. Skirts rose above the ankles and sleeves were adapted for swinging the club. Colors and patterns were central to golfing outfits. Scotch plaids reflected the Scottish origin of the sport. Traditional jackets were initially red then evolved to green (the jacket color still awarded to the winner of the men’s Master’s Tournament).
The most impactful change wrought by golf was the elimination of the tight binding corset. Years of criticism by doctors and dress reform advocates barely made a dent in women’s corset use, but the unfettered limberness required for swinging a golf club prompted many society women to abandon, or at least loosen, the wasp-waist binding and forego uncomfortable whalebones to permit them to enjoy sport on the links. This pivotal change reverberated through society.
Ice skating was an exhibition of grace and a display of fashion. Several articles describe women’s skating outfits, how the materials move while the skater glides on the ice, and layers of coats, scarfs, gloves, hats and muffs. Artificial ice rinks, indoors and outdoors, affected what a woman could wear based on weather conditions. Skating was often the scene for couples or eligible singles mingling, a venue where men and women could meet and lock arms in public, so attractive garb was considered essential.
Equestrian costumes were called habits, and the manner in which the skirt draped over the legs while riding side-saddle affected the cut of their design. The hems were cut unevenly to compensate for one knee riding higher near the pommel while the other leg was extended in the stirrup, and social norms dictated that both should be covered. A few renegade women began riding astride late in the century and they adopted breeches, some baggy and others skintight, as in circus riders. Caps, gloves, jackets and boots were also riding staples.
Basketball and calisthenics, on the active athletic frontier of pushing societal boundaries, drove fashion to accommodate the dynamic movements of women’s bodies. Bloomers were the most common gym suits and their shocking appearance led to men being forbidden from attending women’s sporting events—a testament to the power of fashion to provoke societal norms. Women were no less alarmed by bloomers, as cited in many articles, with the main criticism being that they were ugly and unfeminine.
Outdoor adventurers who pursued hunting, fishing, walking, and mountain climbing, were also impacted by Dame Fashion. Some women wore long skirts when people were in the vicinity then tied them up in clever ways when on their own. Various devices were concocted with draw strings to assist in this transformation. Hunters and women on horseback traditionally wore red jackets.
Women’s fashions even impacted the natural world. While animal furs continued to be worn for decades, the fashion for wearing bird feathers and wings on hats dwindled in the face of criticism from the Audubon society. Thousands of birds were slaughtered solely for their feathers for women’s hats, and countless more were blown to bits in competitive shooting events. Due to public criticism live targets were replaced by glass balls and clay disks released from spring launchers, and women began to don single feathers plucked from live birds who could regrow them rather than from dead carcasses.
While participation in many women’s sports waned after 1900, the fashion breakthroughs of the 19th century endured as tangible advancements in the dress reform movement. This volume, a time-capsule of insights and anecdotes, invites readers to witness the transformative journey of women’s sports fashions and their lasting impact on the ever-evolving landscape of women’s style and self-expression.
Click here to see paperback book on Amazon
Click here to see ebook on Google Play
Home – About – Authors – Ball Sports – Columnists – Cycling – Equestrianism – Fashion – Outdoor Sports – Physical Fitness – Water & Ice – Contact