Childrens Clothing Learning Journey

Imagine being wrapped up so that all you can move are your eyes. Imagine boys dressed as girls. Imagine lying face down on the floor with your mother's foot in the middle of your back so that she can lace you tightly into your clothes... Click on steps 1 - 6 to find out more.....

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Childrens clothing learning journey Step 6: Girls in trousers Before the 20th century it was not considered fit for girls to wear trousers. In the 19th century girls working in the mines and the fishing industry found it safer and more practical to 'breech' their skirts (tie them up to look like trousers) or to wear trousers under their skirts. The Victorians found this shocking and disgusting. When 'Bloomers' were introduced in 1851 they were ridiculed. Bloomers (a 20th century nickname for knickers), invented by Amelia Bloomer in America, was the first trouser suit. It consisted of a pair of full length trousers and a knee length dress. However it was the 20th century before trousers for girls became acceptable. After World War I dress styles were more boyish. In the mid 1920s trousers and jumpers came into fashion as leisure wear for women. During World War II (1939 - 1945) trousers were part of the uniform for Land Army girls, who worked on the farms while the men were away fighting, and for young housewives. However girls didn't really start wearing trousers until the late 1950s. In the 21st century jeans and trousers are a big part of every girl's wardrobe. Do girls wear trousers more often than skirts in the 21st century? GG

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