In the 1850’s a new style of clothing surfaced called the “bloomers.” The bloomers were very different from other styles of clothing. They consisted of a pair of “Turkish pantaloons, wide and nearly meeting the shoe” and a top “garment neatly fitting the person, buttoned or permanently closed on all sides extending just below the knee.” It was a different style that existed before. This unusual way of dress was created by a group of feminist who wanted more freedom in their clothing.
The costume itself is named after Amelia Bloomer, but she wasn’t the first one to wear the new style. Elizabeth Smith Miller was the first woman to wear the costume in public, at Senaca Falls, New York. Although Miller wasn’t the original maker of the bloomers either. They were originally created by her father, Gerrit Smith Miller. He created the costumes so his daughter could more easily take long walks in the country side. He created the style based on a “fashion introduced by actress Fanny Kemble.” After Miller wore the costume to Senaca Falls, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Bloomer saw the new outfit, they modeled similar costumes after it. Amelia Bloomer then wrote an article about the new style of dress in a feminist magazine, The Lily. Because of that article the new style of pants got the name bloomers. Then other women began wearing the costumes including, Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Jenness Miller and Lydia Sayer. Lydia Sayer was even refused admission to a New York female seminary because of the bloomers. The bloomers were not socially accepted when the women first started wearing them because trousers were strictly a male garment. When the women started wearing them, they caused a sensation.
