The Advent of the 19th Century Bicycle and Women's Fashion -Focused on France-

This study aimed to examine the changes in women's fashion, focusing on the repercussions that bicycles had on women's life and fashion, centered on France in the 19th century, and then it examines the significance of the period to women's cycling clothing and its contribution to fashion. The research is based on literature and visual materials extracted from 19th century French newspapers, magazines, and posters. As a result of this study, the appearance of bicycles in the 19th century contributed to fashion as follows. First, the need for clothing suitable for outdoor activities promoted development of new designs with practical and functional features. Second, the clothing worn by female cyclists contributed to the introduction and propagation of new clothing, and pioneering wearing trousers. Third, the boom of bicycles in the 1890s led to the expansion of ready-to-wear items in department. The significance of the period to women's cycling clothing in the 19th century France is as follows. First, the era challenged customs and attitudes towards women's bicycle clothing and led to modernization. Second, a new and reasonable clothing design was presented that required a compromise to be accepted by the public. Third, although the clothing reform movement was not active in France, bloomer-style bicycle clothing was popular among fashionable women in Paris, revealing only its visual status as the capital of fashion in the 19th century.