WE WORE PEDAL PUSHERS

by Shirley A. Ramaley



In high school and in my early 20’s, all my friends and I wore pedal pushers. Along with Capri Pants, which were introduced in 1949 in Italy, we had to have them. Capris were a slim line pant. They ended just below the knee. Famous stars including none other than Audrey Hepurn wore Capris.

But I wore pedal pushers and so did my friends. Looser and more comfortable, they usually ended at the calf. Theoretically they were designed for people riding bicycles or motor scooters, but in reality we wore them all the time. 

We didn’t wear them to school of course. Skirts were the order of the day, maybe slacks, but not pedal pushers. Most were made of pure cotton and had to be ironed after they were washed. Synthetics were not as common then, but I remember having a few pair of some kind of synthetic material that didn’t have to be ironed. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when those came out. 

They came in all the colors you could think of, as well as stripes, embroidered, with rickrack, plaids, and lots more. They were often cuffed.

Clam diggers were also popular. They were looser and baggy. Many of them had a rope-type belt. There were also Calypso pants, which were tighter.

But we wore pedal pushers. I even wore them on my honeymoon (see picture). They were comfortable and cooler than slacks, although most were of heavier material than the Capri’s and pedal pushers of today. 

My granddaughters wear only “Capri’s” which look somewhat like pedal pushers to me, but they wouldn’t dare call them that! Their Capri’s are usually shorter than the pedal pushers we wore in the 50’s, and certainly have a more modern look about them. 

I wish I still had some of those old pedal pushers and in good condition. Those from the 50’s, that probably cost around $5 then, or less if we sewed them ourselves, are often sold for more than $50 today if they are in the best of shape. Mine from the 50’s are long-gone, because they went out of style for many years.

They are back now though. Some designers, such as Liz Claiborne, do list them as pedal pushers, and not as Capris. They sell for $45 to $55. Other companies sell them for even more, and many are selling them for less. You can buy a pair of pedal pushers for almost any price.

We often sewed our own in the 50’s, buying material on sale, spending only a few dollars for each pair. High school girls did a lot of their own sewing in the 50’s. If my friends and I wanted certain clothes, our parents often told us to make our own. So we did.

I’m back to wearing pedal pushers. In the Arizona heat, they are a nice alternative to slacks and shorts. I even wear them riding my bike, and it’s true – pedal pushers never get caught in the spokes of the wheel.


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