I’ve blogged before about hobble skirts, which became fashionable around 1910, when a designer named Paul Poirot introduced a long, slim skirt that was cut straight to the ankle without a vent. They forced women to walk with tiny, mincing steps as though their shoelaces were tied together. One article in the New York Times from 1910 recounts two women engaging in a hobble skirt race down 43rdStreet, between Fifth and Madison.
By 1912, “Hobble Skirt” cars for city trams could be found in cities around the world. These cars rose only eight inches above street level.
Most women who actually had to walk from place to place modified their hobble skirts, adding a slight vent in the back, or—shockingly—raising the hem to allow the wearer to walk and board a tram car. I found these pictures at the Library of Congress, dated 1913.
Poiret dress: Library of Congress Persistent URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004681962/
Call Number: LC-USZ62-56679
women getting on/off a streetcar 1913: Library of Congress Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.13625
Call Number: LC-B2- 2765-3
“Getting On Broadway Car” 1913: Library of Congress persistent URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/96511943/resource/
Call Number LC-USZ62-91533 (b&w film copy neg.)
“Fashions at Trouville, 1913” Library of Congress http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.14391