Riding Wear and Riding in the 19th Century

Ever since the 15^th century horse riding has been a popular sport for both women and men. Side-saddle riding [1.2] was introduced by Queen Anne of Bohemia and Luxemburg in 1382[1] and was the only acceptable way for women to ride up until the mid 20^th century. Around the time railroads were invented riding became more of a leisure sport. The Victorian riding habit was unusual from the rest of the dress that was worn at that time; it was very simple with little decoration and in demure colours [1.3]. It was a fashionable anti-fashion statement, masculine and feminine, practical yet alluring. It is the modern horsewoman who represents a turning point in the history of female dress, as the riding habit is one of the first sports costumes to be designed specifically for women and this opened the way for a generation of other athletic garments.[2] Although the riding habit was unique to a specific sport it still followed society rules. The jacket often followed the fashion of that time and the skirts had metres and metres of fabric, especially at the back, which emulated a bustle look. The skirt or apron did improve in time becoming more minimal though it was one of the most difficult garments to make, as it had to fit the female body while sitting side-saddle on a horse [1.4]. Women’s riding habits are one of a kind, it was the only costume at this time which was cut and fashioned from the same selection of fabrics as the men’s suits. Because the habits were so complicated they were made by tailors rather than dressmakers.[3]  

 

[1.2] Woman riding side saddle

  

[1.3] Riding Habit

[1.4] Side saddle apron

During the 18^th century women wore brightly coloured riding habits, such as ruby red and emerald green with elaborate braiding. However, by the mid 19^th century when Queen Victoria came to power, the colour quickly faded and women adopted the palette of men’s dress. It was then only appropriate to wear black, navy, grey and brown, though blondes might wear a dark rifle green[4]. Riding wear turned everything on its head; it was unusual that the colour scheme changed in riding as it was a time when there were more sophisticated dyes and women were wearing mauve, magenta and cerise. In the riding world the colour coding roles were reversed, as normally the dark and demure colours were associated with men and laborious work, however the simplest habits were seen as “the most ladylike and becoming of all; besides looking thoroughly womanlike”[5]. The riding habit was a one-off to all other costumes because it was different, however it is still in accordance with the sport, as the suiting fabrics acted as a sort of camouflage, it protected women from all weathers and was warm [1.5]. People were becoming more sensible and making clothes because they were practical, though they still had a long way to go. Women still had to wear corsets, however if they did not wear a corset, their riding coat would still be boned and fit tightly, there was certainly not a release for these middle class women, having so many dress code rules to abide by.

[1.5] Women riding side saddle in the hunting field

“Sport was perplexingly ambiguous because it stood on the threshold between male and female and between the past and the future. It was a repressive and constraining mechanism that deliberately idealised maleness and kept women separate from and inferior to men.”[6] Sport was confusingly ambiguous as sports were considered a more male activity in the 19^th century, but females have slowly managed to become more accepted in the sporting world. As such they broke the taboo and changed things from what they had been in the past. It also meant that sports then were a way for men to flaunt their masculinity and competitive nature. It kept women in a state of inferiority without any chance of proving themselves, as they were never given the chance to take part in competitive sporting activities. Women were allowed to join in with sporting activities such as fox hunts; however they were never given any responsibility, just consent to follow along while obliged to riding side saddle.

Ashley J

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[1] David A.,M., Elegant Amazons: Victorian riding habits and the fashionable horsewoman. Victorian Literature and Culture. 2002; 1060-1503 (02): 179-210. p.180

[2] Ibid p.179

[3] Ibid p.182

[4] Ibid p.182

[5] David A.,M., Elegant Amazons: Victorian riding habits and the fashionable horsewoman. Victorian Literature and Culture. 2002; 1060-1503 (02): 179-210. p.182

[6] Ibid p. 180

The Importance of Clothing and Corsetry in the 19th Century

During the 19^th century the way people dressed and displayed themselves was very important. This was at a time when class was a big issue; so many middle class people would buy the best and most expensive clothes. They did not want to be associated with the working class who were the people who worked for them and they did not want to socialise with them. In order to impress their peers, society would go to great lengths to come out on top. At this time women could have up to 8 changes a day[1]; because they viewed clothing as having so much importance they changed for each event in the day [1.1].

[1.1] various styles of clothing of 19^th C

For women good grooming and modish hairstyles were a key element in their function of identity and psychic survival. Clothes got to a point where the women’s wardrobe became so organized that there were significant differences within a code and they represented status symbols within a hierarchy.[2] Women were forced to conform to the rules of society, they did not have much of a life as most of their day was made up of wardrobe changes and sometimes it could take up to 2 hours for them to get ready, because of the number of layers of clothing they had to wear. They wore an average of 14-16 layers of underclothing which was an extra 2-3lbs of weight added solely onto the waist and the average woman’s winter street costume weighed 37lbs.[3] So much work was put into these women, it sounds ridiculous because it was all to put on a front and display how wealthy and well bred they all were. It was not because they saw it as being pleasurable; it had been drilled into them since birth to wear tightly laced corsets and marry a rich, well-bred man to live a good life.

During this period women emphasized their bosoms and behinds, but their legs were completely hidden and it was their face that suggested what the garment was hiding. "Clothing is ambivalent. It reveals as it veils, and showcases the sexually charged body parts it conceals. Thus it becomes a crucial tool in seduction and yet constitutes the ultimate obstacle to desire."[4] As men were the dominant characters at this time and were seen as better than women, they just looked on women as sexual objects. The most alluring part of a woman, as it is still today, is the hour-glass figure created by wearing a corset.

For many years, especially through the 19^th century, women were obliged to wear corsets as they were told it helped their posture, supported their back and all in all created the “ideal” woman. The act of lacing and unlacing a woman’s corset was treated as a symbol of sexual intercourse.[5] Most women wore corsets their whole life, as it was considered the norm. A quote from Anna Sewell (author of Black Beauty) describes: “Humans are enslaved like horses and horses are made into machines”[6]. Essentially meaning that people have become slaves to society, because they choose to conform to what is considered acceptable and the norm, to a certain extent, because slaves are to society much as horses are to us.  

Ashley J

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[1] Perrot P, Bienvenu R, translator. Fashioning the Bourgeoisie: The history of the clothing in the nineteenth century. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press; 1994.p.91

[2] Ibid.p.8-9

[3] Kunzle D. Fashion & Fetishism: Corsets: Tight-lacing & other forms of body sculpture. United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing Ltd; 2004. p.38

[4] Perrot P., Bienvenu R., translator. op. cit., p.12

[5] Steele V., The Corset: A Cultural History. New Haven (CT): Yale University Press; 2001. p.45

[6] Dorre G., M., Horses and Corsets: Black Beauty, Dress Reform, and the Fashioning of the Victorian Woman. Victorian Literature and Culture. 2002; 1060-1503 (02): 157-178. P.168