Women's Suffrage and Western Women's Fashion through the early 1900s

Amelia Bloomer, sporting her "freedom suit."

The women of the late 19th century changed their style from the big Victorian dresses to more “manageable, practical, streamlined outfits for modern women to engage in the activities of their more active lives."[1] Prior to the Women's Suffrage Movement, general consensus asserted that women were physically weaker than their male counterparts, so were discouraged from playing sports."[1] Despite this, with an increasing number of women participating in protests, some experts in the medical field began to argue that light physical activity for a woman was good. Consequently, there was an increasing output of clothes to correspond, called rational dress. One specific piece of clothing was the sporting pantaloon or the women's bloomer;[2] originally worn in America in the 1850s as a women's suffrage statement by Amelia Bloomer, it turned into the ideal costume for women riding bicycles - an activity that was considered acceptable for women to participate in during the late 19th century. This was deemed most appropriate for sports and outdoor activity, so marked the beginning of pants as a 'regular' piece of clothing .[3]

Fashions at Nyngan Picnic races. Gladys Meacle, Mrs. T. Tighe, Vi Cleaver, Mrs. R. Fisher. circa 1927.

In light of the First World War, it was not uncommon for women in the 1910s to commence employment in factories to aid in the war effort, taking over the jobs that the men could not longer do because they were in the front lines of the war.[4] As a result, this sparked the dress reform, whereby female activists argued that clothes should offer convenience rather than comfort so that they could do labour jobs in a more efficient manner. Accordingly, fashion became less restrictive than the Victorian era dress and required less fabric to make, which saved resources which were much needed in the war time. In an article written by Laura Doan, the newly found freedom of women is considered to have been a catalyst for the commencement of women including the typical fashions and styles of a man in their own dress.[2] A trend which not entirely agreed with once the war had come to an end; the great war had an impressive effect on women's fashion however many men still did not accept the new and changing styles in woman's fashion, despite the fact that women still conformed to rigid beauty and social standards imposed on them at the time. All in all, typical female fashion actually remained very feminine (contrary to the societal standards of the time). Briefly summarised by this quote, “From society lady to factory "girl," every woman wore a hat, stockings, shoes, and gloves in all seasons.”[1]

In accordance with the emerging modern woman, the New Woman's moxie was paradoxically evident in her lack of charm, exhibiting short bobbed haircuts, heavier makeup, and boyish frames.[5] The flapper's simplistic, straight-lined style was popularized by Coco Chanel, who's somewhat ironically remembered as "fashionable without being forward,"[6] as a way of liberating women the impractical designs that hindered modern women's ability to engage in physical activities.[7] "The newfound freedom to breathe and walk encouraged movement out of the house, and the Flapper took full advantage.”[8]

Norma Shearer in flapper attire 1927.

Generally, clothing become shorter and women were allowed to express themselves more through clothing. With that, the Era also had many forward minded female designers which influenced what was considered to be popular on the market.

During the progressive era the clothes changed along with ideas about women.[5] Women in baseball during the progressive period tried out knickers for their uniform for a time. They first wore short skirts and long whole socks and then converted back to long skirts finally to rest upon knickers. Tennis was a sport that was appropriate for women to play, and in the early 1920s, there was a switch to more manageable clothing for women to wear. After the war and women's suffrage a new style came into play: the Flapper, much of which was influenced by film, radio, and women's newly found freedom to vote. This was an outfit that exposed the knee for the first time if stockings were worn, which was not always mandatory. This outfit was worn by young women in the 1920s and oftentimes was not approved of by older men and women of the time. The flapper was less of a style and more of a persona. It described a young revealing woman who did not have a lot of respect for the floor length skirt of yesterday. The flapper showed that women were able to express themselves more and show what they wanted to show off their bodies. Considering the lament in which the author of Flapper Jane[9] describes the flapper, this style was most likely looked down upon by much of the societies in that time period.

Popular accessories now viewed as classics, such as strings of pearls and petite handbags, can also be traced back to the simplistic vision of Coco Chanel.[5] Other successful accessory designers of the Roaring 20s include that of Cartier and "strap bracelets" and Miriam Haskell with her "fashion jewelry"[10] (costume jewelry), but wealth wasn't a necessity for obtaining the flapper's look. Magazines provided sewing patterns to mimic chic Parisian trends, which fast-tracked the look's popularity by making them easily accessible to all those with a needle and thread,[10] the common woman. However, while standardizing practical women's attire promoted movement, it was also seen as highly provocative,[11] as the new dress (or lack thereof) served as a symbol of sexual freedom[8] as well as an indicator of supposed declining morals.[5] Flappers invested more importance on fun and panache than they did in moral character, idolizing figures such as Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of Modernist author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was known for her flair, wit, and personal accomplishments as a writer and a professionally trained ballet dancer.[10] Completing her own American novel, Save Me the Waltz, in 1932, Zelda epitomized the mantra that inspired the New Woman's change in apparel: that "a woman can do anything a man can do" without compromising her femininity.[11] The flapper "smoked, drank, swore, drove fast, professed free love, and used makeup,"[5] and exercised sexual independence–re-positioning herself as an indelible force in Western society.[8]