What Is a Farthingale in Clothing

farthingale, underskirt expanded by a series of circular hoops that increase in diameter from the waist down to the hem and are sewn into the underskirt to make it rigid. The fashion spread from Spain to the rest of Europe from 1545 onward. The frame could be made of whalebone, wood, or wire.

What did a farthingale look like?

Farthingales were skirts that had stiff hoops sewn to them to give a skirt volume. The hoops were made of stiffened rope, cane, and, later, whalebone. … Note that none of the farthingale skirts resemble a cage. A farthingale could be worn several ways.

Who wore farthingales?

Spanish farthingales were an essential element of Tudor fashion in England, and remained a fixture of conservative Spanish court fashion into the early 17th century (as exemplified by Margaret of Austria), before evolving into the guardainfante of 17th-century Spanish dress.”