Hello darlings!
I recently started doing yoga and other light exercises at home (nothing too intense with my chronic fatigue diagnosis). As some of you may know, I tend to wear chemises for casual wear and consequently I wore them for exercising too. However, I hated how quickly I got through my chemises as I'd have to change after I got hot and sweaty. So, I thought I'd look into the Victorian solution: a dedicated exercise outfit! No different than the leggings and tank top you wear to the gym- well, maybe slightly different.
I took inspiration from contemporary illustrations, and also the section on 'morning exercise' that Ruth Goodman wrote in her book How to be a Victorian.
'Despite the very serious tone of the articles, callisthenics could really be described as prancing around in your underwear. The special clothing advocated involved a pair of ankle-length bloomers, some sort of loose shirt, no corset, a short skirt down to the knee – all in white cotton fabric – and a 'pretty coloured sash' tied around the waist.'
For this outfit, I wanted to make a dress (simulating a loose shirt and skirt) and a pair of bloomers.
For the shirt, I used the gathered bodice pattern from 59 Authentic Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns (p.2) as a base. The skirt is made from one length of fabric, using the width of the fabric as it came with no shaping. I used Jean Hunnisett's pattern from Period Costume for Stage and Screen 1800-1909 (p.66) for the bloomers- Goodman mentions ankle-length bloomers, but I'm short enough already so I made them mid-calf length to make myself appear slightly more proportional.
First Fitting
The sleeve pattern is also from 59 Authentic Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns (P.70), altered to be shorter. I drafted a collar from scratch to match the neckline.
I found some vintage metal buttons in my stash that sit flat, so if I'm ever doing any exercises that require me laying on my front they wouldn't get in the way.
Second Fitting
The details of an outfit are always very important to me, and I noticed in some of the Victorian illustrations their outfits have little bows at the neck. I carried black details along the hem of the dress and the collar, culminating with the little bow.
The final outfit!
(I seriously can't get over how cute the silhouette of this outfit is from the back!)
I chose a red scarf for the 'pretty coloured sash' at the waist. The bow is attached to the collar with a popper for ease of washing. It's important that this outfit is easy to wash if I'm going to be exercising in it. Everything else can go in the machine, but I didn't want to have to re-shape the bow after every wash.
Calisthenics for Ladies
Earlier in this post 'calisthenics' were mentioned. Towards the end of the 19th century there was a push for young women to exercise more- the hypothesis that too much exercise would damage their organs was being re-written, and now it was thought that exercise could actually strengthen young girls instead of harming them.
There was still the issue of modesty; public baths and gyms were male dominated areas, and most women wouldn't have felt comfortable exercising in such spaces. Thus, calisthenics were born. As Ruth Goodman puts:
'The ability to undertake callisthenics in private was a major boon. With so much concern about public modesty, a form of exercise could be carried out totally in private made it possible and accessible to anyone who had somewhere private at their disposal.'
A wonderful site called victorianlondon.org have digitised the original instructions from the 1880s Cassells Household Guide, which I have just purchased for myself.
I, myself, have taken part in the elbow exercises from part three in my exercise outfit to test it:
Elbow Exercises
THE following elbow exercises will be found to be of great service in obtaining a really good carriage, and curing round shoulders:-
1. Assume the same position as in No. 1 of chest exercises. Force the right elbow down four times to A (Fig. 19), and up four times to C, then repeat with the left, then alternately, then together, four times each.
2. Place the hands on the back of the hips (Fig. 20), and throw the elbow forcibly backwards. Repeat according to the usual course, four times each.
3. Interlace the fingers firmly against the back of the waist (Fig. 21), standing erect the while, then thrust down the interlaced hands as far as possible. Repeat four times. Next pass the interlaced hands (the palms front) to the right side in a line with the waist, and draw them down sharply, and return to the first position. Repeat on opposite side, and alternately, taking care that the movements are rapid and act on the shoulders.
4. Clasp the hands together, and place them on the waist in front, the backs of the hands forward, the elbows bent at right angles (Fig. 22). Carry the hands four times to B and back, then four times to C and back, and so on to D and E, and finally, alternately to B and to D, clapping the palms together with a slight noise at each return to the waist.
5. Place the interlaced hands, with the back of the hands upwards, on the top of the head (Fig. 23). Throw [-153-] them up (still interlaced) as far as possible to A, and back to the top of the head, rising on the toes with each movement. Repeat four times. Next draw the head, and back again, four times; the same to the right four times, and then from right to left four times. Then carry the interlaced hands down in front of the body as far as they will go, and back again.
If you want to try out some of these exercises for yourself, be sure to check out the database on victorianlondon.org!
~
Fun fact, I have spent a lot of time writing this blog post and I still spell exercise wrong every single time.
Anyway, if you would like to know more about exercise in Victorian England let me know! Ruth Goodman writes a lot about it in her book and I also have some other sources I can collate to create a lengthier research post.
Until next time,
Aisha x
Comments