Lady’s riding-costume

Outfit used in the nineteenth century by women to ride sidesaddle. It comprises a tight bodice often accompanied by a waistcoat, and a very large and long skirt to hide the legs, though sometimes the skirt concealed a pair of trousers. At the end of the century, the lady’s riding-habit — a prototype of women’s sportswear — was adopted to practice the sporting activity of the moment: riding a bicycle.