Crinoline

This term derives from a special fabric, the crinolino. At first it referred to the stiff petticoat neeeded to swell the skirt, and later to the particular shape of dresses in the 1800s. The hoop skirt was inspired by the need to separate the dress from the body, with the purpose of protecting pregnant women, even if making it too tight around the waist could be dangerous. By 1840, crinoline was already very rigid, more solid than the fabric. In 1860, it was transformed into a cage with rings and Springs and crinoline at the top. Then this tool, hidden under large bulky dresses, became lighter, and it was in these more comfortable forms that crinoline, considered the unsurpassed symbol of femininity, returned to the fashion stage, for example in the 1960s.