After weeks of rain, today was the perfect early fall day.  Fall is the time for hiking here in the mountains, with crisp, cool days and low humidity that makes the mountain vistas even better than usual.  When it comes to what to wear on such a hike, I really don't think we can improve much on this knicker set from the early-mid 1920s.  It's made from linen, and is appropriately "woodsy" but still quite polished.  How to accessorize?  Here's how they did it at B. Altman & Co in 1925:

I have the patterned stockings, and a casual dark red cloche.  I'm still looking for some brogan shoes, but I do have a great pair of 1920s lace up hiking boots from Abercrombie & Fitch.

When this set was made, slacks were not an option for women.  Bloomers had been made for bicycling before the turn of the 20th Century, but most female bike riders did not wear them, preferring a slightly shorter skirt instead.  Bloomers became commonplace at women's collages, worn first as gym attire, and later as sports uniforms.  But until the very late 1920s, pants for women were knickers like these for sports wear, or long flowing pyjama pants for beach and poolside.

But what freedom these knickers must have afforded a generation of women who were used to hiking in long skirts and corsets!