Bloomin Bloomers
Recently, I asked my Instagram community which antique and vintage inspired garments I should remake next and on a little bit of a whim, I posted a pair of antique bloomers since I've been wanting a pair that look like bloomers but actually aren't bloomers. I was actually surprised that so many of you responded positively to the bloomers.
These are bathing outfits featuring bloomers in different silhouettes. All are wide leg, but the two on the left are more fitted at the ankle and feature trims, the two on the right are wider at the ankle and have simple finished hems.
I started doing a bit of research on bloomers, just for fun (I'm not really interested in making "historically accurate" bloomers) and came across an article about the "Bloomer Ball" held in October 1851 in London, England in which women were explicitly only allowed in if wearing the new "Bloomer" attire.
HANOVER-SQUARE ROOMS. The ‘BLOOMER’ BALL under distinguished management, will take place at the above Rooms THIS EVENING (WEDNESDAY), the 29th inst. Tickets (including a recherché supper and refreshments) 15s each, may be obtained on application at Messrs Bailey and Moon’s Carlton Library, 12 Regent-Street, Waterloo-Place. It is most respectfully intimated that no lady can possibly be admitted except in the ‘Bloomer’ attire. Gentlemen full evening dress … An early application for tickets is recommended, the issue being necessarily limited. - Ellis-Rees, Karen. 2021, May 9. Men Behaving Badly at the Bloomer Ball. https://london-overlooked.com/bloomer/
The Bloomer Ball was part of a larger political movement and in this case, bloomers are not in fact the underwear I often think about Queen Victoria wearing, but rather pantaloons to be worn underneath shorter dresses and tied at the ankles.
I know in the early 1900s and into the 1910s, women would fight and advocate to be able to wear pants and I know that Paul Poiret's "Harem Pants" caused many to gasp and clutch their pearls. (Remember that scene in Downton Abbey with Lady Sybil? The shock, the horror!) However, I did not realize the advocation for women being allowed to wear pants went back to the 1850s with the likes of American early feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Bloomer.
Learning this about bloomers sparks a new inspiration for the kind of pantalettes I want to design. Wearable, comfortable, and practical. So, naturally if I do create a pair of bloomers for my line, they should be named Amelia after Amelia Bloomer, c'est pas?
Examples of mid 19th century Bloomer fashion. Library of Congress
Left: A photograph of Amelia Bloomer, who was an American women's rights and temperance advocate. Amelia did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, but became associated with it because of her early and strong advocacy.