Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Bloomers are an article of clothing associated with Amelia Bloomer, who promoted them as a way to change how women dressed. The earliest bloomers were like baggy pants, worn below a skirt, preserving Victorian decency while hindering women's activities far less than the long full skirts of the period — part of the Victorian dress reform movement. In the 20th century bloomers became gym shorts for girls, and the modern Japanese version, with the entire legs exposed, is a different garment again. This page traces those meanings and points onward to related undergarment terms such as knickers.
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Bloomers are an article of clothing invented by Amelia Bloomer to change the way women dressed. The earliest known bloomers were like baggy pants (worn below a skirt), to preserve Victorian decency while being less of a hindrance to women's activities than the long full skirts of the period (see Victorian dress reform). In the 20th-century, they became gym shorts for girls to wear.
The modern Japanese version of bloomers has the entire legs exposed and are pronounce burm
Learn about knickers in the fashion influence section on Apparel Search.
Find more information about various styles of underwear.
When we think of the word bloomer, many people may think of the term granny panty.
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You can locate additional Women's Bloomer retailers by utilizing the Amazon database. |
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bloomers_%28clothing%29 ). 1/14/06 Article modified by Apparel Search |
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Bloomers and Dress ReformBloomers belong to the history of dress reform: the 19th-century argument that women's clothing should allow movement, work and exercise rather than restrict them. The long, full skirts of the period, worn over layers of petticoats, were heavy and impractical, and the bloomer costume — a shorter skirt over loose trousers gathered at the ankle — was offered as a healthier, more rational alternative. It drew ridicule in the press, which is part of why Amelia Bloomer's name stuck to it, but the underlying idea, that women might wear bifurcated garments, eventually became ordinary. The name outlived the reform costume. Gym bloomers, loose shorts gathered at the leg, became standard school sports wear for girls in the early 20th century, and the elastic-legged undergarment style sold as bloomers in Japan is a further descendant in name. When reading older texts, context decides which garment is meant: the reform trousers of the 1850s, the gym shorts of the schoolyard, or the modern Japanese sports style described on this page. Common QuestionsWho were bloomers named for?Bloomers take their name from Amelia Bloomer, the American dress-reform advocate who promoted the baggy trouser style in the 1850s. The garment became so closely identified with her campaign for more practical women's clothing that her surname became the garment's name. How were the earliest bloomers worn?The earliest bloomers were baggy pants worn below a skirt. The combination preserved the modest appearance expected in the Victorian period while freeing the legs, making walking, cycling and other activities much easier than in long full skirts alone. What did bloomers become in the 20th century?In the 20th century, bloomers became gym shorts worn by girls for physical education. A separate modern Japanese version also exists — a short, close style worn for school sports — which differs from the loose Victorian trouser that gave the garment its name. More to Explore
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