A
hoop skirt or
hoopskirt is a women's
undergarment
worn in various periods
to hold the
skirt
extended into a fashionable
shape.
Hoop skirts typically
consist of a fabric
petticoat
with
casings to hold a stiffening
material, variously
rope,
osiers,
whalebone,
steel or
nylon.
Lightweight hoop skirts,
ususally with nylon hoops,
are worn today under very
full-skirted
wedding
gowns.
See also:
Farthingale
(sixteenth century)
Panniers
(eighteenth century)
Crinoline
(nineteenth century)
Bustle (nineteenth
century)