Hoops, Crinolines And Cages, Oh Why?

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
Please do not imagine there's an answer here.

A misery sandwich with Regency filling, hoops, crinolines, cages, struts, bumps, padding and flying buttress side bars impeded female movement for the better part of a century. I'm getting reports the whole event irritated men somewhat but that's one of those rare moments in History where we get to suffer together. It doesn't concern this topic except as an anomaly.

Please note, yes, ' hoops' and 'crinolines' are being used interchangeably. Yes, there was a difference. It's not important for the sake of this discussion, honest.

Think about it. We take for granted how ' lovely' these garments were, the floating grace of a young woman whose waist disappears into veritable foaming fabric crescendos consisting of lace, silk, flounces, embroidered hems and velvet. OH the visual poetry! And ouch. Beneath this vision- depending on year, a metal or bone or wooden frame, strapped to her waist. She's a little tired, not having been able to sit down since she was dressed ( with an awful lot of help ), stood in the carriage on the way, is struggling with the idea a trip to the lady's room is necessary but what an ordeal.... maybe it could wait another hour or so and she's chilly, too- but who can risk getting close to the fire after the last few deaths? Oh my. No, thank you sir, a stroll in the garden? How shocking to end like the poor Duchess of Manchester! Her under drawers were actually scarlet, for all the world to see when she fell over her hoops, head over hoops they said!

We'd been at this for awhile. Note ' horsehair '. Ever sat on a horsehair sofa? The military is missing the single, best tool, albeit inhumane, for extracting information.

"The predecessor to the crinoline was the farthingale, worn mainly in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and the cartwheel farthingale worn during the Elizabethan period (Laver, 2001, p. 178). The term crinoline has its origin in the French word “crin” meaning horse hair because the stiffening of the original crinolines or petticoats was made of horsehair and pads of rigid material. These materials were placed on a framework of bamboo or cane, whalebone, and metal hoops that were suspended from tapes. The framework was more or less circular in shape, and increased in width towards the hem. These early crinolines were burdensome to wear"........ ( I guess!! JPK )

http://www.fashionintime.org/history-womens-hooped-petticoats/3/

Here is what I mean when I refer to the misery sandwich with Regency stuffing.

hhis 5 count bedfrd lucy.jpg

This is thought to be Countess of Bedford, Lucy , replete with trapping of the peerage yes- but also a farthingdale.

Next, daylight breaks. Regency fashion jettisoned restrictive strap-on items, no leather straps, booster seats to feminine lure or hiding of feminine attributes for that matter. In point of fact Regency fashion ( IMO ) wwas the most attractive inclusive of anything we have out there today to ever grace the female form- ever.
hhis r 1810-white-day-painting.jpg

This is cheating- picked an awesome painting. You can't find an un-awesome painting of the period, however. Regency filling, the best jam ever.

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/day-plates/


ladie3.jpg

And...... back to the Dark Ages. Yards of fabric, oppressive weight- look, she's holding on to something just to stand up! ( that's a joke, nobody yell at me )
ladies1.jpg

Again.
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Laaa!!! :angel::angel::angel::angel::angel:

Critics and jokesters had a field day.
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I think there actually was a system whereby one could inflate one's hoops? Honest. This was meant as a joke- probably pre- system!



" Suddenly, the woman “whose crinoline, although of ordinary dimensions, being not more than six yards wide, began to show symptoms of rebellion on passing between the chairs...and at last, [the skirt and its wearer] absolutely refused to move, although energetically urged to do so by the...[gentleman’s] cane.” As the woman struggled to loosen her dress and move forward, the crowd “all rose to gaze on the spectacle.” Waiters left their positions, diners flocked to the center of the restaurant, and crowds came pouring through the restaurant to see the woman whose foolish desire to be fashionable had led to her being cemented in place. "

http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/crinoline.html

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You get the idea. It was not universally admired. There is a rumor out there Queen Victoria disliked the fashion? I'm seeing this hasn't been proven. It seems to have been taken from a request she made that women please not wear them to chapel services during her wedding as a space consideration.

Having ditched impossible, freakish standards
hhistory f.jpg



stumbled on the lovely, simple, unrestricted lines of Regency fashion
hhis 7 r1.jpg

hhis 6 r.jpg

somehow forgot all about this and-

rocketed backwards-

all the way to this.......
best7.jpg

well, how'd that happen?


Being a buff on this particular time period, it would seem necessary to be smitten with all era fashion. Not always. There was a lot that was quite wonderful, would rather not argue on the topic of hoops unless we all lived 150 years ago. It’s the single way it makes sense to do so.
 
It has long been my opinion that designer of women's fashions actually HATE women and therefore try to put them into the most uncomfortable, unflattering garments possible. Restrictive, impracticable, hideous and often ridiculous clothing is the order of things even today. Too tight jeans, too high heels, too short skirts, too awful. Not to mention those hideous patterned leggings! UGGGGGHHH!!!
And what do men get to wear? comfortable flat shoes, comfortable pants, practicable shirts. Something is wrong with this picture!
 
It has long been my opinion that designer of women's fashions actually HATE women and therefore try to put them into the most uncomfortable, unflattering garments possible. Restrictive, impracticable, hideous and often ridiculous clothing is the order of things even today. Too tight jeans, too high heels, too short skirts, too awful. Not to mention those hideous patterned leggings! UGGGGGHHH!!!
And what do men get to wear? comfortable flat shoes, comfortable pants, practicable shirts. Something is wrong with this picture!


That's so funny, NL, Dad always said that! Same thing exactly, that so much of the clothing designed for women was so awful he was convinced no female had a hand in it. I have to say though when Dr. Mary Walker tried to help women adjust to extremely ' comfortable ' clothing not many were interested. Well, they did rocket to another extreme- awfully ugly. There had to be a middle ground! I must say, it's SO, so baffling looking at what ' fashion' did to women through these years. They got rid of the ridiculous extremes confining women- gave us the simple lines during Regency. To THEN not only put back a veritable cage but layers of petticoats and underwear was insane.

OH my- look at the pencil skirt- was that the 60's? And I guess what, the 90's? Like hobbling a horse, women walking with knees moving a few inches at a time. Awful! That's just one example. Yes, don't get me started on heels.

The hoops/crinolines? Read where 200 women in Chile all perished in a mass tragedy. A church candle fell over, one woman's skirt caught fire and all of them went. Fire was the worst hazard- happened a lot with no hope of removing the silly things quickly. The garment was just too cumbersome all-around. Wind was also an enemy and the events it was designed for, social events where really large hoops came out were nightmares.
 
Well, that's fashion.
My Mom always said "wer schön sein will, muss leiden" (you want to look great, you'll have to suffer).
And look at our modern day brides. For the best day of their lives, many choose a dress with corset and hoopskirt. We women seem to be hidden masochists... but these dresses just look gorgeous!

Do they still use them for wedding dresses? Had no clue! I know wedding dresses get extreme, should have guessed the hoop had made a come back! Oh well, for one's single day, to each his own although whew- how difficult would it be maneuvering amongst guests, dance floor, tables and transportation for that matter? OH and I just thought- churches were not designed for wide skirts, either, wonder how many brides considered this when choosing a dress?

You want to look great, you'll have to suffer, oh dear! At the very least, should be some kind of age limit on that. Otherwise it'd end up being elder abuse at some point.
 
just thought- churches were not designed for wide skirts, either, wonder how many brides considered this when choosing a dress

Well Annie ... churches are not the problem ... cars and restrooms are! Without giving too much away ... me and my friends have assisted more than one bride with holding doors open and blocking the entrance to avoid intrusive looks ...
 
Some of the hoop skirts seem almost large enough to shelter a small village from the rain! A fashionable statement at the time, but now perceived as not so practical. Many fashions that have peaked and waned have some of the same traits...in more recent times, remember the huge hip-hugging "bell-bottom" pants of the 60's and early 70's? The "platform shoes"?
 
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