Objects of Substance – Grammar Bloomers

1934: Drill Display – longer stockings, shorter bloomers

1937 was the final year Grammar girls competed at Interschool Athletics in bloomers and a blouse. The newly designed sports uniform saw a reduction in the amount of material in the bloomers with a tunic replacing the sailor top. The argument was that the amount of material in the bloomers hampered the more adventurous athlete and, if the material were to be reduced, another layer was needed for modesty. Thus began the era of the shorter, tighter bloomer worn under a three-box pleated gym tunic. In 1954, a waisted gym tunic was introduced, and the bloomers needed to be tighter and shorter as the tunic was much more fitted. Still elastised at the waist and the legs, these garments allowed the athlete to be comfortable in any position. This style of bloomer was still required into the 1970s after the A-line tunic was introduced in the late 1960s. The advantage of this style of bloomer was that they allowed for the athlete to tuck their gym tunics up out of the way in the heat of competition.