Before roads and footpaths were paved, and when long skirts have been fashionable, how did women possibly wear them without being covered in mud and dirt? I saw someone's wedding dress after a farm-based wedding wedding recently and it was full of mud and hay. Was it socially acceptable to just hoick it up? Or to just be filthy? I guess the time period I'm picturing is Victorian Britain, but I'd be interested to hear about any time and place.
There's various ways to get around that, as well as a slight flaw in the premise, as you'll see. If anyone else would like to contribute on long skirts or trains versus dirty conditions, please don't let this post stop you! More can always be said on any topic at all, and your posts are always welcome. While we wait for new material, OP, you may be interested in u/mimicofmodes addressing just this question exactly, with indeed some focus on the Victorian period.