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Story: Clothes

Māori women dress reformers, 1906

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Māori women dress reformers, 1906

In the late 19th century the more restrictive elements of women's clothing, like corsets and bustles, were abandoned by some and replaced with 'rational dress' comprising a jacket, blouse and knickerbockers (baggy, knee-length trousers). Knickerbockers were only for the daring and many women sympathetic to rational dress still wore skirts. These women were confirmed dress reformers and wore their rather masculine clothing with confidence.

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Christchurch City Libraries

Reference: CCL PhotoCD 11, IMG0096

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How to cite this page

Fiona McKergow, Clothes – Women’s clothes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/41124/maori-women-dress-reformers-1906 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Fiona McKergow, published 18 March 2013.