National Dress Reform Association founded

Background. Victorian dress reform, also known as the rational dress movement, was led by middle-class women from the 1850s through the 1890s. Reformers sought to emancipate women from the dictates of fashion, arguing that current styles were physically detrimental and socially restrictive. They promoted covering limbs adequately and replacing corsets with the emancipation waist, aiming for greater social mobility, independence, and physical comfort for women.

Bloomers and the American Costume. Bloomers, or the American costume, were developed in the 19th century as a healthful alternative to heavy, constricting dresses. The National Dress Reform Association called the outfit the American costume, focusing on its health benefits rather than political symbolism. The movement gained visibility through advocates like Amelia Bloomer and Lucy Stone, who wore the dress publicly to address audiences across multiple states.

Publication and Support. From July 1856 through June 1864, a paper associated with the association carried news of dress reform to subscribers from New England to California. It published the names of nearly a thousand women who identified as wearers of the reform dress. The association supported the bloomer movement, which was also called the Turkish dress or simply reform dress, as a practical garment for the lower body.