Do you see all those wedding dresses that you so much admire? The ball-like ones that make brides look like Cinderella and so magical. So much that you’d wish you were the bride. Well, they aren’t just mere dresses like you would like to think. They’re made to look that way with the use of crinoline. Okay, you know that basket like structure a bride wears right before she puts on her wedding dress? That’s a crinoline. Over the years, it has gained popularity and even though we only use them for wedding dresses and costumes, they are still an important aspect of fashion.
A crinoline is more of a stiffened structure like a petticoat that is made to hold out a woman’s dress or skirt as the case may be. It was popular in the 19th century when it was worn as regular clothing. You have probably seen movies set in such times and the mode of dressing then. While it was first seen and made then, it has been revived severally over the years up until now. Well, crinolines are still much in vogue especially if you’re given to making fashion statements with your looks whenever you grace an event. There are quite a number of them and it would naturally depend on the dress but here are some of them.
These are examples of what a crinoline looks like both for a short skirt and a long one. Now let’s see what it does.
1. Support
This has probably been already mentioned but twice is for emphasis. A crinoline works by supporting and enhancing the fullness of a skirt. So, imagine a hoop skirt without a crinoline or any kind of support. It will probably look a bit downcast and all flabby and its beauty and purpose will be defeated. Every dress has its mode of operation or rather the way it should be worn as it was in the mind of the manufacturer so where the dress needs support to be fuller, you’d definitely need one of these. Take a look at this skirt.
Without the use of a crinoline, there wouldn’t be adequate support and you’d probably not want to buy it.
2. Visibility
Do you know how you’d want to completely follow a pattern from the beginning to the end? Well, that’s what a crinoline gives you. When you wear dresses that have different patterns, the beauty and the complete patterns on the dress may only show up when the dress is in its full glory courtesy of a crinoline. It will completely lay it out and give you a good view and even make you appreciate the dress a lot more. Now, look at this. The complete pattern of the skirt is only made available by the crinoline which pushes and enlarges the skirt so it is a lot fuller and visible to anyone.
3. Temperament
There are many times you wear a dress or a skirt and realize that it just doesn’t flow well. Maybe the undergarment you wore doesn’t do justice to the skirt or even the overall look of the dress isn’t exactly palatable. Now some dresses are like that and can be remedied with a crinoline. If you’re looking to wear a long ball-like dress or skirt, chances are that without a crinoline, you will end up looking subservient rather than graceful. You’d end up turning a beautiful dress into a look-alike nightgown. An instance is with this dress. Without the crinoline, a longer one, of course, the general ambiance of the dress wouldn’t be beautiful.
Conclusively, Crinolines have been worn well into the 21st century in a lot of outfits. As previously stated, they are worn under prom dresses and wedding dresses and even to events themed in the 50s or 60s like the Viva Las Vegas. They have also been modified to include net Crinolines which are mostly worn under costumes used for dancing. This means the modern age has incorporated it into the fashion world and has even modified it to fit into the styles in vogue, for instance, a corset is a modification of the traditional crinoline and a lot of women wear those.
Over these years, some prominent fashion designers have also lent their expertise to the making of Crinolines, some of them are Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood whose version was named the “mini crini” and who influenced Christian Lacroix’s work on the “puffball” skirts. Given this background, it is safe to say that Crinolines are a necessity in every woman’s wardrobe and also fashionable and should be treated accordingly.