Bloomers History by BLOOMERS 4U.com!

The History of Old-Fashioned Bloomers

Why the name Bloomers?

The term “bloomers” derives it's name from Amelia Bloomer. Amelia was prompted to wear clothing that would adhere to the period's modest fashions, but would also allow her to comfortably pursue her latest passion: Bicycling!

The ladies fashions of the time were cumbersome, at best, and included great trailing skirts, a tightly laced whalebone corset, and about six feet of straggling skirts. These styles were hardly suited for active pursuits...let alone bicycling.

Amelia had become a very successful crusader through articles she wrote and published in “The Lily,” a publication that she owned and edited. It wasn’t only style that Amelia attack, but she published articles promoting women’s rights, temperance, and child labor laws, and through her newspaper, she evidently managed to provoke nationwide controversy.

In researching the specific style that Amelia concocted, one will be left guessing. Some say that the pant-style garment was blousy ending at the ankles with a button closure that held snugly around the ankle, and worn with a mid-calf length skirt, while others picture it as “men’s pants.”

One can imagine that there was a specific style of garment that could be called “bloomers” during that time, but history has managed to obscure the name bloomer with many styles. Pantaloons, drawers, knickers, and in the U.K., knickers are referred to as many styles of woman’s underwear.

Why should you consider adding Bloomers to your wardrobe?

Nightwear

"Out on the town” or party wear. On the web-site there is photograph of a pair of below-the-knee bloomers fashioned from black velvet. Wear them with a black top, long black boots. They'll keep your legs warm.

Sleepwear

Bloomers make wonderful pajamas and sleepwear. The comfort of "sweats" combined with the fanciful uniqueness of renaissance clothing makes Bloomers a wonderful choice.

Erotica

Particularly exciting to some when worn with corsets, and stockings. Brides: Wear white bloomers with blue ribbon under your lace wedding gown. The blue ribbon fulfills the “something blue” in the “something borrowed, something blue." There are some that view bloomers as uniquely feminine.

Beach Cover-Up

In and out of the beach and want to cover the "real you?" Try a pair of bloomers. They can be thin, made of lace material, or of light-weight cotton. Beats those towels that some girls use.

Precautions on Wearing Bloomers

Bloomers should only be worn with a-line or full skirts. (Ruffles may cause“bloomerlines” like panty lines when worn with narrow skirts, whether the bloomers or skirts are long or short.) Of course, no skirt at all can be worn if the garment is thick enough to wear to a party or as club wear.

Misconceptions

All bloomer enthusiasts must make clear to those they share their fascination, that the bloomer person is interested in bloomers as an adult who has attraction to bloomers as an adult garment, as one who appreciates bloomers worn with erotic garments such as corsets. Many adults who wear bloomers as a fashion statement, have been misunderstood as "adult babies," and visa-versa. Just a hint to anyone who questions the bloomer wearer usually suffices in situations like this.

Wear your bloomers with wild abandon. Have fun! Yes, there are novelty bloomers that are just plain fun to wear.

My Bloomers !

We offer custom sewn under-garments, bloomers, antique pantaloons, chemise shirts, knickers, pantelettes and much more all at affordable prices!

We want to be sensitive to your budget as well as to your tastes. You will find our low prices for "Standard Bloomers" allows you to obtain a quality sewn pair for the price you would spend a regular pair of pants at the store.

Bloomers, knickers, pantaloons and/or pantelets are a wardrobe staple for those living a modest conservative lifestyle. For this reason my Standard Knee length Bloomers are my personal choice.

Bloomers can become a fun addition to anyone's wardrobe. Fancy for going out. Easy and comfortable for housework, hanging out and even sleeping. These items also make a neat and unusual gift for your loved ones! Students find these are great to study in, much cooler than sweat pants.

All my items are available for children!

Why Buy My Bloomers?

All items are hand-made personally by me because of my love of bloomers.
I double stitch every seam and even triple stitch in some spots where extra security might be needed. I want each and every person to be satisfied and happy with every item they receive from me. I will do everything necessary to make that happen.

Why did I decide to have a web site you might ask yourself?

Well it all started out because I wanted Bloomers / Pantaloons, Knickers for myself that were cute. (not that others are not, mind you) yet reasonably priced.... it's that simple and I wanted to show the World my creations!

So come on in, take a look around and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

More on Bloomers

Great Moments in Bloomer History

The first flags sent to the army of the Confederacy were presented to the troops by General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard in person, he then expressing the hope and confidence that they would become the emblem of honor and of victory.

The first flags he received were made from "ladies' dresses" (and their pink bloomers) by socialites Miss Jenny & Hetty Cary, of Baltimore and Alexandria, Virginia, at their residences and the residences of friends, as soon as they could get a description of the design adopted. One of the Misses Carey, (most probably Jenny) sent the flag she made to General Beauregard. Her sister presented hers to General Van Dorn, who was then at Fairfax Court House. Miss Constance Carey, of Alexandria, sent hers to General Joseph E. Johnston. General Beauregard sent the flag he received at once to New Orleans for safe keeping. After the fall of New Orleans, Mrs. Beauregard sent the flag by a Spanish man-of-war, then lying in the river opposite New Orleans, to Cuba, where it remained till the close of the war, when it was returned to General Beauregard, who presented it for safe keeping to the Washington Artillery, of New Orleans.

5th Company - Washington Artillery's first flag was given to them just before the battle of Shiloh by Colonel Walton. Colonel Walton, as it is told, was returning to New Orleans from Virginia to help with recruiting when he found out that 5th Company had moved up to Tennessee at General Beauregard's request, for General Beauregard had said, "The best place for the men of Louisiana to defend Louisiana is in Tennessee."

Colonel Walton was returning with a flag recently adopted by the Army of Northern Virginia as its battle flag. That pattern had been General Beauregard's inspired idea after the Battle of Manassas, and was designed by Porcher Miles who submitted it to the Confederate Congress for approval as it’s the National flag.
The Confederate Congress rejected it in favor of the one we all know and love - the Stars and Bars - saying that General Beauregard's battle flag design looked like suspenders.

In his post-War Memoirs, General Beauregard gave Colonel Walton credit for assisting in the design of the battle flag. The flag that Colonel Walton carried had been given to him by General Beauregard, one of the first Army of Northern Virginia pattern battle flags made by the ladies of Richmond, Virginia. The flag was adopted by 5th Company, and was used for the battle of Shiloh, the battles following Shiloh, and on through the battle of Perryville, Kentucky.

Following Perryville, the Army of Tennessee decided to use the Hardee pattern for their regimental flags, along with the other patterns used out West which included the (Polk pattern, the Van Dorn pattern, and others). The Hardee pattern flag the adopted by 5th Company - the same flag used today by the re-enacting 5th Company - is a copy of the flag used after the original Army of Northern Virginia flag was retired.

The first flag was sent to Mobile, Alabama by W.C.T Vaught for the duration of the War. His relatives kept it safe; it was in Mobile where the battle honors "Shiloh" and "Perryville" were added. After the War's end, Vaught's family donated the flag to the Confederate Memorial Hall on Camp Street in New Orleans where it remained until it was stolen in the 1970's. It has subsequently resurfaced, but has not been returned to Confederate Memorial Hall (now officially known as "929 Camp Street Museum").

5th Company's first and second flags are pictured under the 5th Company - Washington Artillery in the Time-Life books about the Civil War.

Maryland, My Maryland! J.R. Randall
"Maryland, My Maryland," the state song of Maryland, was a favorite rallying song of the Confederacy. Baltimore poet James Ryder Randell wrote the words in April 1861 while in Louisiana, after he read the New Orleans Delta newspaper account of the skirmish in Baltimore between Massachusetts troops and southern sympathizers in Baltimore. One of Randell's friends was the first casualty. Jenny Cary first sang the song to the tune of the German folk song in July 1861, after the First Battle of Bull Run, in darkness before General Beauregard's tent. Beauregard's troops gradually joined in the refrain.

The courtship and marriage of Brigadier John Pegram and Hettie Cary (shown below) was the event of the decade, and one of the most tragic love stories to come out of the Civil War, capturing the imagination of the entire country!

http://www.patch.net/misc/cary.html

References

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