What it is -
A farthingale is an ankle-length skirt stiffened with hoops of varying diameters at intervals up the skirt. it is underwear and thus is worn under the main dress. Basically, it is a big boned petticoat that makes people keep there distance from you.
Farthingales were a fashion of the late Elizabethan era (1570-1600)
There were three main types:
- the Spanish Farthingale. This was bell-shaped, or round
- the English Farthingale, also known as the Bolster Farthingale. This was squarer in shape, but still with a soft curve, and
- and the drum shaped farthingale. This is the style that is usually associated with the Queen herself
The word derives from the Spanish "verdugado", meaning
"something distended by rods or hoops"- [Ewing]
Farthingales can be boned with anything - some recommend steel, some timber strapping, some reeds. It depends what you can find.
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