The Rational Dress Society was an organisation founded in 1881 in London, part of the movement for
Victorian dress reform
Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...
. It described its purpose thus:
The Rational Dress Society protests against the introduction of any fashion in dress that either deforms the figure, impedes the movements of the body, or in any way tends to injure the health. It protests against the wearing of tightly-fitting corsets; of high-heeled shoes; of heavily-weighted skirts, as rendering healthy exercise almost impossible; and of all tie down cloaks or other garments impeding on the movements of the arms. It protests against crinolines or crinolettes of any kind as ugly and deforming... trequires all to be dressed healthily, comfortably, and beautifully, to seek what conduces to birth, comfort and beauty in our dress as a duty to ourselves and each other.
In the catalogue of its inaugural exhibition, it listed the attributes of "perfect" dress as:
Leading members of the Society were
Lady Harberton (who created the divided skirt),
Mary Eliza Haweis and
Constance Wilde
Constance Mary Wilde (née Lloyd; 2 January 1858 – 7 April 1898) was an Irish author. She was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of their two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
Early life and marriage
The daughter of Horace Lloy ...
(Irish author).
Oscar Wilde helped spread the word by publishing essay "
The Philosophy of Dress" in which he stressed the important relationship between clothing and one’s soul. Woman cyclists, such as members of the
Lady Cyclists' Association, were keen advocates of women's right to dress appropriately for the activity, as part of a belief that cycling offered women an opportunity to escape overly restrictive societal norms.
In 1889, a member of the Rational Dress Society,
Charlotte Carmichael Stopes
Charlotte Brown Carmichael Stopes (née Carmichael; 5 February 1840 – 6 February 1929), also known as C. C. Stopes, was a British scholar, author, and campaigner for women's rights. She also published several books relating to the life and wor ...
, staged a coup at a meeting of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, when she arranged an impromptu addition to the programme on the subject of rational dress. Her speech was reported by newspapers across Britain and the notion of rational dress was the biggest news from the meeting.
See also
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Svenska drägtreformföreningen
*
National Dress Reform Association
*
Artistic Dress movement
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Bicycling and feminism
References
{{reflist
19th-century fashion
Clothing controversies
History of clothing (Western fashion)
Anti-fashion
Women's rights by country
Women's health
1881 establishments in the United Kingdom
19th century in London