Bustle
Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Bustles were worn under the skirt in back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging down and to project its fullness behind the wearer. The bustle era runs in two waves: an early period from about 1825 to 1867 of soft pads and layered petticoats pushing fullness to the back, and the famous cage bustle of the 1870s and 1880s, when steel and cane frameworks carried skirts out almost horizontally before the shape softened again. This page explains the forms the bustle took, how it was worn, and its place in Victorian fashion.
Bustles
were originally worn (in the period from 1825 to 1867) under the
skirt
in back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging down, especially
if the fabric was heavy. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt
down and flatten it, so a
petticoated or
crinolined skirt would be out of shape
from sitting down or just from moving. The bustle later developed into a
feature of fashion on its own after the overskirt of the late 1860s was
draped up toward the back and some kind of support was needed for the new
draped shape. Fullness of some sort was still considered necessary to make
the waist look smaller and the bustle eventually replaced the crinoline
completely. The bustle was worn in different shapes for most of the 1870s
and 1880s with a short period of non-bustled, flat-backed dresses from 1878
to 1882. It reappeared in 1883 and survived into the 1890s and early 1900s
as a skirt support was still needed and the stylish shape dictated a curve
in the back of the skirt to balance the curve of the bust in front. The
bustle had completely disappeared by 1905 as the long corset of the early
twentieth century was now successful in shaping the body to protrude behind.- See also 1870 in fashion
See also:
Farthingale (sixteenth century)
Panniers (eighteenth century)
Crinoline (nineteenth century)
Evening Dress (White Tie)
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| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bustle). 1/6/06 |
The Bustle Silhouette
The bustle changed how a dress was built. With fullness concentrated at the back, the front of the skirt could lie flat and smooth, overskirts were draped up and back to cascade over the bustle, and trains flowed from it. That combination — flat front, elaborate draped back — is the unmistakable profile of 1880s dress, and it demanded a straight, corseted posture above the waist to balance the projection behind.
The word survives at weddings: to bustle a gown now means to fasten its train up after the ceremony with buttons, loops or ribbons so the bride can move and dance. The device is unrelated in construction to the Victorian framework, but the name records the same job — managing the skirt's fullness at the back.
Common Questions
What is a bustle?
A bustle is a framework or pad worn under a skirt at the back, just below the waist, that pushes the skirt's fullness out behind the wearer. It keeps the skirt from dragging down and creates the distinctive rear-projecting silhouette of much Victorian dress.
When were bustles fashionable?
Fullness moved to the back of the skirt in the period from about 1825 to 1867 in soft forms, and the structured cage bustle peaked in two phases in the 1870s and 1880s, first projecting almost straight out behind, then softening into a narrower shelf before the bustle disappeared from fashion around 1890.
What were bustles made of?
Bustles were made as pads stuffed with horsehair or down, and as cages of spring steel hoops, cane or whalebone covered in fabric, tied around the waist. The cage forms were light and could collapse when the wearer sat down, springing back when she stood.
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- GNU Free Documentation License
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bustle