Crinoline

V Mag

Crinoline, from protecting infants to becoming stylish element in fashion, and distinguishing the clothing of aristocrats. In our modern world it brings a regal connotation.

The crinoline is a circled underskirt out of stiff horsehair fabric, which it took its name; it puffed, held and formed the heavy skirts of 19th century gowns. Its triumph comes from the farthingale, which was used as a "shield" for the womb of pregnant women.

There was a period when the law was not put down on how tight a dress fits, but for its volume. It was said, that there was once a competition between Queen Elizabeth and Empress Eugenie to see who had the broadest skirt. It seemed extreme. But fashion is at times, how time and again is created and developed by want. 

Empress Eugenie

The crinoline replaced the convenience of the farthingale in the '800s, which was worn placed over lower than the corset, right at the navel. Charles Frederick Worth started this trend, which was first worn by Empress Eugenie the wife of Napoleon III who was the trendsetter of that time.

Then all women began to emulate her. Gradually more voluminous skirts won over courts but also among commoners in the streets. The crinoline was, in fact, one of those accessories that gave rise to the phenomenon of fashion, because it did not distinguish. A "respectable" woman of the Victorian era had to wear it and show it in dresses in somber colors and with scrupulous cuts. The crinoline, besides making the dress puffy and enhancing the bell shape, made dames’ movements elegant.

Over time, these items grew increasingly with their proportion, reaching even 7 meters in circumference in 1865. This was the time their decline began, Charles Frederick Worth himself, replaced them with the demi-crinoline, an asymmetrical crinoline: flat on the front and puffed on the back. The reason for its decline can be traced in the discomfort it caused, because it made it very hard and difficult to move. The discomfort is to be found mainly in the materials with which it was made, which transformed it into a real cage.

As it is known, the aristocratic and feminine style has always been a favorite, women love to wear it and men love to see it, and this is why crinoline has made a comeback in modern fashion shows, but in greatly reduced sizes.