"This will be the book on women and sport clothing and will no doubt open the doors for additional research on the topic. . . . Patricia Warner has long been considered the expert in this field and numerous scholars have been anxiously awaiting the publication of this book."--Gayle V. Fischer, author of "Pantaloons and Power: A Nineteenth-Century Dress Reform in the United States"

A study of the evolution of American women’s clothing, "When the Girls Came Out to Play" traces the history of modern sportswear as a universal style that broke down traditional gender roles. Patricia Warner shows how this profound cultural shift, which did not reach fruition until World War II, originated during the previous century with the gradual expansion of socially acceptable physical activity for women. Behind this development was a growing interest in sports and exercise that was further nurtured by the establishment of schools of higher education for women.

The participation of women in athletic pursuits previously reserved for men began with the relatively genteel sports of croquet and tennis. With the founding of women’s colleges, these "ladylike" games were supplemented by more vigorous activities and competitive team sports, from gymnastics to swimming to basketball. At first, Warner points out, women literally had nothing to wear for these activities.

Whereas such fashionable attire as corsets, petticoats, hats, and gloves could be worn while playing outdoor lawn games, more strenuous athletic endeavors required less physically restrictive clothing. Even so, change came only gradually, as women’s colleges, shielded from public scrutiny and prying male eyes, permitted the adoption of looser, more comfortable apparel for physical education. Many of these new outfits featured trousers, garments considered taboo for women, though they often remained hidden beneath voluminous skirts.

Over time, however, the practicality and versatility of such clothing led to social acceptance, laying the foundation for the emergence of the now ubiquitous yet distinctly American style known as sportswear. Although we take it for granted, Warner observes, this is the first time in the history of the world that such universality has existed in clothing, and it has lasted now for well over half a century—in itself a marvel, considering the speed of fashion change in an era of instant messages and images.

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Paperback: 292 pages
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press; illustrated edition edition (August 22, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1558495495
ISBN-13: 978-1558495494

INTRODUCTION
This book is about the origins of American sportswear, the most important clothing of the twentieth century and beyond. It is comfortable, easy, inexpensive, practical, and wearable by both men and women.

It is undeniably American, yet it is worn by most people all over the world. We take it for granted. Yet this is the first time that such universality has existed in clothing, and it has lasted now for well over a half century—in itself a marvel, considering the speed of fashion change in this era of instant messages and images.

Its pieces for women are readily understood and are so basic that they have lasted with very little fundamental change since the late 1920s: sweaters, pants, shirts, skirts, blazers. For men, the continuity in dress has lasted much longer, dating to the mid-nineteenth century. In fact, men’s styles gave their look to women’s. ...

PREFACE

OVER THE YEARS AS I WORKED ON THE TOPIC OF WOMEN, SPORTS, AND THE clothing devised for exercise in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, people would ask me how I got interested in the topic. They usually assumed that I was athletic myself, and the interest sprang from that. Those who knew me well knew this was not the case.

The only reason I had participated in sports or athletics in high school was—typical of teenagers everywhere— because my friends did. These were the mid-twentieth-century years, when girls wore their baggy romper-leg cotton gym suits to play basketball and volleyball, and, if they were lucky, got to wear shorts to play games such as badminton. Generally speaking, sports for girls were disregarded, though my school was better than most.

We had no outdoor field, no track, no pool, but we were fortunate to have our own Girls’ Gym, separated from the Boys’ Gym by wide doors that scarcely kept out the deep shouts that emanated from the boys’ side. ...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patricia Campbell Warner is professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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