Rational Dress

合理服運動 / 1850s–1900s / Style / Fashion History

A reform movement that refused the corset and the trailing hem and redesigned clothing around health and freedom of movement. In dress it is what functionalism is in design.

Rational Dress — Bloomer costume plate 1864 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Bloomer costume plate 1864 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Rational Dress — Satirical print on the bloomer costume 1851 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Satirical print on the bloomer costume 1851 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Rational Dress — Women cycling, 1890s — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Women cycling, 1890s — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Bloomer-type garments
Refusal of the corset
Bicycles and sportswear
Form from function

Best used for

Redesigning everyday clothes around movement and the heat of the body
Deciding sportswear and cycling clothes by function before ornament

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Dictionary entry

Type: Put size and purpose where the wearer can check them
Composition: Carry the weight on the torso, lift the hem clear, divide the leg
Material: Light woven cloth, washable fabric, fastenings that do not constrict
Caution: Claiming function while keeping the old pattern only moves the constriction somewhere else, and the body is no freer than before.
Further study: Amelia Bloomer / the Rational Dress Society / dress reform and women's suffrage

Related entries

Arts and Crafts (アーツ・アンド・クラフツ)Editorially linked for a useful contrast.Compare Rational Dress and Arts and Crafts
Flapper (フラッパー)Same Fashion History lineage.Compare Rational Dress and Flapper

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/rational-dress
Markdown: [Rational Dress — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/rational-dress)
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