Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts are a type of woman’s undergarment, related to the crinoline, which enjoyed a brief period of high fashion in the mid 19th century. Both were later replaced by the bustle, as woman’s fashion started to give way to more practical garments. The Hoop Skirts was worn on formal occasions by fashionable upper class women, and would not have appeared on workers and lower class women.
Navigating in Hoop Skirts is challenging, as any historical re-enactor will inform you, and wearing one required some training.
Hoop Skirts are made from a wide bell of sturdy material with casings sewn into it at multiple points along the length of the skirt. The casings hold stiffening materials such as whalebone, metal, rope, and twisted cloth. This causes the Hoop Skirts to project stiffly out from the wearer’s body. When dresses are worn over Hoop Skirts, they take on the bell shape of the Hoop Skirts. This gives the wearer’s lower body the look of a large triangle, and it was at one point very fashionable, although impractical.
For 19th century women, Hoop Skirts actually represented a huge improvement in their undergarments. Previously, women had to wear multiple layers of heavy petticoats to achieve the full bell shape which Hoop Skirts created. With Hoop Skirts, a woman only needed two petticoats, the Hoop Skirts itself, and the dress. The first petticoat was slim, rather than full, and worn under the Hoop Skirts for modesty. The second petticoat was worn over the Hoop Skirts to smooth its lines, so that the dress did not appear bunched or lumpy. All told, a woman would still be wearing a substantial amount of fabric, thanks to the immense flowing skirts which were so popular among the upper classes.
In the United States, Hoop Skirts are most frequently associated with Civil War fashion, and they often appear at history balls and events commemorating this period in American history. The full skirts actually represented serious hazards to the wearer. It would been difficult for women in Hoop Skirts to sit without exposing themselves, and the skirts also needed to be lifted to avoid puddles and filth on the roads. More importantly, Hoop Skirts could get caught in a doorway or piece of machinery, or could catch fire. Nurses were specifically prohibited Hoop Skirts, as the skirts would have made it impossible for them to attend to patients. Many women welcomed the slimmer style of the bustle with pleasure.

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Tennis Skirt

Tennis Skirt

A Tennis Skirt is an article of clothing intended for, and often worn by, women during tennis matches. They are often designed as a fairly plain or only lightly patterned skirt with small vertical pleats running around the entirety of the garment. While the name certainly indicates one intended use, due to the comfortable and often visually appealing nature of the garment, some women wear Tennis Skirt for other athletic activities or for purely fashionable reasons.
Though not always a traditional part of tennis apparel for women, these garments are referred to as Tennis Skirt due to their prominence on the tennis court.
The preferred Tennis Skirt worn by many women is lightweight, breathable, and moves with the woman as she plays a match. These skirts are often pleated to allow for more movement and to create an appealing look during play. Elastic waistbands are common for a better and more comfortable fit, though some fashionable Styles of Tennis Skirt may feature a vertical zipper on one side. Some skirts are not pleated, but instead are flat and smooth, and other styles even incorporate brief short leggings beneath the Tennis Skirt to create a “skirt” or combination of skirt and shorts.
Though perhaps intended for wear on a tennis court, these types of garments have become popular for fashionable uses as well. Since a Tennis Skirt is typically tailored to allow comfortable movement while still providing a flattering shape, many women enjoy wearing these types of skirts during other sporting activities or simply for daily wear. Though the popularity of such garments as fashion accessories may fluctuate like any other garment as styles change, a number of different designers have utilized one type of Tennis Skirt or another in their collections.

Tennis Skirt

Tennis Skirt

Tennis Skirt

Tennis Skirt