1884 Bicycle Bloomers and Jackets
Just a bit before the turn of the century, women had a new line of Bicycle riding clothes to wear not just for cycling but also for hiking, camping, the gymnasium, and other outdoor sports. They featured oversized bloomers cuffed at the calf. These were the closest things to women’s pants that the Victorian era would see.
Today they are funny things to wear, but make a unique outfit for Tweed Rides and reenactment events.
Look at more Victorian and Edwardian era bicycle outfits here.
Article Outline
Women’s Edwardian Hiking Clothes History
Most women in the Victorian and Edwardian eras simply hiked in their normal daywear outfits. Durable long wool skirts, hemmed at a walking length (between ankle and mid calf) were paired with cotton or linen blouses with a bowtie or necktie! Wide brim straw hats (boater hats) kept the sun off their faces and low heel lace-up hiking boots completed the outfit.
Besides bicycling, women were also learning to drive motorcars and had a similar set of clothing for that activity.
Hiking in 1910 was still a full skirt and corset affair. At least they had somewhat more rustic hiking boots.
After the 1910s, women’s hiking and camping clothes simplified down to narrower and shorter skirts with matching suit jackets, belted at the waist. These used dark and heavy wool for hiking and camping; and lighter khaki cotton for canoeing, golf, riding, and fishing.
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- 1910 Tweedy Sport Suit
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- 1910 Sport Suits
Divided skirts (or split skirts) were ideal for horse and bicycle riding. They were essentially culottes with a button on front panel to turn them into skirts. Many avid hikers also found them very practical for climbing over rough terrain.
1915 Sporty Khaki Outfits for Riding Horse, Bicycling, and Hiking
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- 1910s Divided Skirt Riding Outfit
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- 1915 Sport Clothes and Riding Clothes
Women were gradually leaving hiking suits behind in favor of lighter sporting clothes. Midi length skirts with a thin petticoat reduced bulk and a Middy top, inspired by men’s sailor uniforms, became the most widely worn hiking outfit from WWI to the mid 1920s. Instead of a hat, women pulled hair back with a pretty scarf or turban. A cardigan sweater also introduced knitwear to the sport clothing world.
See more hiking outfits in this 1913 Abercrombie catalog.
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- 1913 Middy Blouse with Skirt
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- 1913 Sport Blouse
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- 1916 Canoeing Skirt with Cardigan Sweater
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- 1914 Sport Blouse
Sport Togs
While women were making do with long skirts, men had the freedom of wearing work or sport togs with breeches (knicker pants). Women had been borrowing men’s work and sport togs for working farm life well before clothing manufacturers began to make them for women.
Sport togs consisted of breeches (knicker pants) with a matching Norfolk style suit jacket, buttoned down blouse-shirt, wide brim hat, and boots or puttees. This outfit has come back in style again thanks in part to the Tweed Ride trend. You can find breeches/knicker pants/jodphurs here.
1917 Bloomer Suits, Sport Togs, and Divided Skirt Outfits
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- 1918 Work Togs for Women
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- 1916 Sport Togs for Hiking
1919 Riding Breeches Outfit
Hiking Boots
The turn of the century saw women taking to the ‘out-of-doors’ in droves. Their need for sturdy boots was a growing industry. Abercrombie was one such company who is still around today. Their hiking boots were over-the-calf high with long laces and a low heel. Paired with tall socks, hiking boots remained mostly unchanged from the 1910s to 1940s. Shop boots.
Besides boots, women could wear low heel Oxford shoes for lighter walking, golf, and tennis. With knicker pants, a leather puttee (gaiter) was wrapped around the calf and over Oxfords or low boots.
1913 Abercrombie Hiking Outfit – Tall Lace-Up Boots
1913 Outdoor Boots, Oxford Shoes, and Putees
1916 Hunting (Hiking) Boots
Creating a Hiking Outfit
Depending on how accurate you need to be, sewing a sporty outfit is usually the best choice. You may be able to piece together a more modern Edwardian outfit with blouse and skirt/breeches separates using ready-made options and second hand clothing. Shop with the links below.
- Sewing Patterns
- Skirts
- Blouses
- Women’s Pants, Bloomers, and Breeches
- Women’s Boots and Shoes
- Edwardian Hats
