Hoop skirts from the 1730sHoops return with a vengeance in the 18th century. The names ‘farthingale’
Hoop skirts from the 1730sHoops return with a vengeance in the 18th century. The names ‘farthingale’ and ‘verdugale’ have disappeared from use, but initially the contraption features the same technology. The hoop skirt sees quite an evolution over the century.Beginning in 1710-hooped petticoats resembled the Spanish Farthingale or verdugale. They featured hoops of increasing size made of whalebone and sewn into a petticoat of sturdy fabric creating a cone shape.During the 1720s– the silhouette grows and becomes more rounded. Hooped skirts have a dome-like appearance such as the hoop skirt illustrated here at the right.During the 1730s, the preferred silhouette flattens in the front and back and remains wide from side to side. This is acheived by a series of tapes inside the hoop skirt. When the tapes were tied, they pulled the front and back together. The shape is reminiscent of the ellipse silhouette of the Spanish guadinfante.As this illustration demonstrates, these things were quite cumbersome and awkward. They made every day activities a bit difficult. In order to pass through a doorway, the wearer would have to either slide through sideways or attempt to flatten them (as the woman at the left in the above image is attempting to do). As you can probably imagine, the latter method could hardly be acheived gracefully. It is a good thing that she is wearing a petticoat!(source) -- source link
#fashion#fashion history#18th century#hoop skirts#panniers