The Hobble Skirt, also called The Speed Limit Skirt, «A hobble skirt was a skirt with a narrow enough hem to significantly impede the wearer’s stride. It was called a «hobble skirt» because it seemed to hobble any woman as she walked.» - Wikipedia.
This skirt was a fashion staple from 1910-1914, the fashion started in late 1908 as a tunic type of dress worn over the classic drapey skirt of the middle Edwardian era and from there it evolved in to the tight dresses seen above (all from 1910) with it becoming easier to walk in by 1912 with the use of slits in the skirts. From there the skirt evolved into a “Kimono-esque” type of skirt with long, often draping slits making the skirts much easier to walk in before it disappeared in late 1914.
As chic and fashionable this skirt was, it was a safety hazard. There are stories of women falling into water with no way of getting out because of the tight submerged skirt, women getting trampled by horses because they could not run quickly enough to safety, broken ankles and more. The steps of vehicles and public transportation had to be lowered so that the women wearing these skirts could enter without needing help.
The things we do and wear to look our best.. still to this day. - Les Modes, 1910 🖤🩶🤍
