Thus, for the first generation of Victorian dress reformers, fashion and health were set in opposition. Many Victorian feminists perceived fashion as a domineering monarch 'whose throne is now so firmly established' (Ellen Barlee, 'Cheap Clothing', Alexandra Magazine, 1865). In the third issue of The Rational Dress Society's Gazette (1888) an article 'On Fashion' talks about the empire of fashion:
She extends her authority to the minutest details of our lives; tells us when we must eat and when we must strive to amuse ourselves. She turns day into night, ignores our comforts, disposes of our money and our time, and engages in successful war even with Nature itself.
on was like a vampire, feeding on her victims who then in turn become addicted to her pleasures and her charms. Fashion was also seen as an exploiter of the workers who produced it, namely seamstresses, and many written essays and articles as well as paintings testify to this. By the 1880s, the victims of this exploitation were widened to include animals and birds. The reformers placed this exploitation at the centre of their critique of the fashion system, and even many fashion and general commercial magazines lamented the excessive use of ostrich feathers.
The official mouthpiece of the Rational Dress Society, The Rational Dress Society's Gazette, was a non-profit making enterprise. Only six issues were produced between 1888 and 1889. Constance Wilde, Oscar's wife, edited most if not all of it, and both the Wildes were known for their support of rational dress. Oscar advocated Dr Jaeger's hygienic woollen underwear--wool was considered to be cooler than any other material, and Dr Jaeger's clothes were worn by many intellectuals of the time. The Rational Dress Society did not have a regular meeting place but relied on the financial and practical support of its core membership, which included Lady Harberton, Charlotte Stopes, Emily King and Ada Ballin. It did have a London depot where potential customers could view the goods it promoted. The society was against the weight and discomfort of contemporary fashions and advocated rational clothes, boots, baby clothes and even cremations. It is not surprising that many of the supporters of rational dress were also involved in other progressive movements such as vegetarianism, animal rights and anti-vivisection..
