Pantaloonatics! The ‘scandalous’ true story of dress reformer Lady Florence Harberton
Elliott & Thompson has signed Pantaloonatics!: Victorian Women’s Fight for Fashion Freedom by Helena Drysdale, the true story of radical dress reformer Lady Florence Harberton. Minna Fry bought world English rights from Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander Associates, and the project is now being overseen by director Olivia Bays. It will be out in hardback and ebook on 4 March 2027.
‘An avid cyclist and campaigner for Rational Dress, Lady Harberton scandalised Victorian society by flinging off her restrictive corset, bustle and voluminous skirts, and taking to the road in her ‘divided skirt’, an emblem of female independence that saw her pilloried as a ‘pantaloonatic’. She was among the first to understand how closely what we wear is tied up not only with who we are, but also with what we do and how we feel. As a passionate and radical advocate of women’s rights, she spent decades urging women to reject the tyranny of fashion, and instead choose to wear comfortable, practical clothing that allowed for active participation in society.
‘In 1899 a scandalous trial marked the climax of Lady Harberton’s battle for fashion emancipation. Harberton brought a court case against a hotel landlady after being refused entry because she was wearing her ‘divided skirt’. In Pantaloonatics!, Helena Drysdale (whose husband is the great grandson of Lady Harberton) uses this fascinating courtroom drama to frame a wider exploration of fashion, feminism, family and female health at the turn of the 20th century and beyond.’
Bays says
“We are absolutely delighted to be publishing Helena’s brilliant new book, originally acquired for us by Minna Fry. Extraordinarily, women acquired the right to vote before they had the right to dress freely, and Helena tells the story of her great-grandmother’s tenacity and determination with great flair. In a world where women are still judged on what they wear, this rigorously researched but hugely entertaining slice of history feels freshly compelling.”
Drysdale says
“While attending the centenary of Lady Florence Harberton’s infamous 1899 court case, I was amazed to discover our family connection. This triggered three years of research into her pioneering work in Victorian dress reform. It has been eye-opening to delve into the story of this witty, feisty but long-forgotten champion of women’s rights, who tried to free women from slavery to long skirts, high heels and strangling corsets. Liberated women at the time declared that Florence deserved a statue – and she does. I hope my book will go some way to restoring her to her rightful place in history.”
ABOUT HELENA DRYSDALE
Helena Drysdale is the author of travel books including Mother Tongues, Dancing with the Dead and Looking for George. Her writing interweaves memoir, history, biography and travel. She has worked as an editor, book reviewer and art critic, and her writing has featured in publications including the Independent, New Statesman, Sunday Times, Spectator and Aeon. She is currently a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Winchester, and lives in Somerset with her husband.