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Another thread about hoop skirts and petticoats!

Started by Kate, January 06, 2010, 08:43:06 AM

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Kate

How often (and with what) do you wear a hoop or petticoats?  I often see women wearing them but I usually do the peasant/wench/pirate thing and didn't know if it was appropriate to wear one or not.

Anyone?

Thanks! :)
Kate
Pink'n Penny

gem

A hoop/petticoat can "elevate" your wench look nicely to something that looks middle class:


LaurenLee

one caveat... if you wear a hoop skirt, please wear an over-the-hoop petticoat.  I do more Civil War than Ren, but the dreaded lampshade effect is rampant everywere - you don't want the hoops to be visible at all... I have made a very very fulll cotton petticoat that I wear over my hoops, and all the gathered fabric does a good job of masking the actual hoop, but doesn't weigh down the shape of the skirt.

Kate

Quote from: LaurenLee on January 06, 2010, 10:54:21 AM
one caveat... if you wear a hoop skirt, please wear an over-the-hoop petticoat.  I do more Civil War than Ren, but the dreaded lampshade effect is rampant everywere - you don't want the hoops to be visible at all... I have made a very very fulll cotton petticoat that I wear over my hoops, and all the gathered fabric does a good job of masking the actual hoop, but doesn't weigh down the shape of the skirt.

YES!  I hate this too.  I have the hoop and over-petticoat from my wedding dress and planned on that if I decided to wear the hoop.  I HATE the rings showing.   Thanks!  :)
Kate
Pink'n Penny

Taffy Saltwater

Another thing to remember:  you won't be able to wear your regular skirts w/hoops as they will be too short. 
Sveethot!

Kate

Quote from: Taffy Saltwater on January 06, 2010, 11:33:58 AM
Another thing to remember:  you won't be able to wear your regular skirts w/hoops as they will be too short. 

All of my skirts are FAR too long and hitched up usually because I'm too lazy to hem them.  Part of the reason I was looking into wearing a hoop was so I didn't have to worry about hiking them up anymore! :)
Kate
Pink'n Penny

NicoleBridget

Heh.  I call that "skeleton skirt" and I believe it's rampant everywhere.  Also hula hoopskirt--those that have just 1 really large ring somewhere near the bottom.  From the waist the fabric caves in, then scoops out at the hoop, then hangs straight down from there.  Good gravy.  Lampshade indeed.  Although I HAVE been victim to a few ren faux pas, that hasn't been one of them.  One such misadventure though was when I had on a large circumference hoop and I guess the weight of my skirts in the front and back was too much because it flattened out in both places making the sides squash out.  I looked like I was wearing panniers a la Marie Antoinette.  Looked ridiculous. ::)

A while back I got a 100% cotton, 6-tier hoopskirt on eBay which has a ruffle over each hoop and I still love it.  A 2-in-1 kinda deal.  Maybe I haven't been looking hard enough but all of the ones I see lately are made of polyester fabric, which I don't recommend.  Also, if your skirts have the right amount of fabric in them you shouldn't have to worry about skeleton skirt.  The higher your station the more fabric you can afford to have pleated into your skirts.

Gem's right.  A great way to bump yourself up a class is adding a modest hoop to a peasant ensemble.  Well, provided we're not talking mud beggar type peasant. 

Anna Iram

#7
I say try it out one weekend with you pirate. Maybe with a long skirt over the hoops and another skirt hitched up over the top. I've worn mine that way as sort of a Lady Pirate, or as Gem was showing in a more middle class style, and of course my usual is with the whole overskirt/forepart shebang. Hoops are so fun to wear. :)

Haha..I have to add that, yes, I had the Marie Antoinette thing going on a few years back. I'd made my own hoops from plastic tubing and it just didn't hold up as well as what I now use. I think I get mine from Angels Bridal on Ebay. Cotton,adjustable and cheap.

Adriana Rose

And if you choose to wear your skirts that you made for hoops without the hoops be prepaired to trip all over the dratted place!

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted



Hoped Slip or farthingale as it is known as.

Speaking of which, I need to find a supplier of reasonably priced hooping for some farthingales I need to make.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

amy

I would love to hear everyones recommendations and suggestions for what to use for hoop boning and where you buy them.   I have heard so many suggestions and of so many failures, I am not sure what to use in my first attempt to make my own this year.   

Who has a real success story?  Thanks!

LaurenLee

I have bought my hoops from sutlers at civil war reenactments, or on-line.  Only cotton, and yes I did buy one with a ruffle over each of the 5 hoops, which also helped avoid the lampshade look.  Check online for sutlers who sell cotton hoop skirts (ebay seems to have mostly the bridal-satin type)...

The other nice thing about hoops??  You stay cooler on very hot days, as your skirts are held away from you.  Now, depending on how many undergarments you wear, it is downright breezy under there as you move.  Another BIG warning:  always wear SOMETHING, because if a breeze catches that hoop, or you aren't very graceful sitting and standing, you might provide the crowd with a show they didn't pay to see ;D

GirlChris

Quote from: LaurenLee on January 07, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
Another BIG warning:  always wear SOMETHING, because if a breeze catches that hoop, or you aren't very graceful sitting and standing, you might provide the crowd with a show they didn't pay to see ;D

I don't often wear hoops, but I wore a full court gown to the gala opening of an exhibit of chopines (really tall renaissance shoes) at the Bata shoe museum in Toronto.

I was very glad I wore opaque thigh-high stockings and a knee length chemise when a lady woman hauled up my skirts to look at my feet and demanded to know what kind of shoes I was wearing.

LaurenLee

Well,I tried to rescue a cavalry horse that had gotten her foot caught in her lead rope, and she stepped on my skirt and then kicked me in the thigh.. sending me backwards about 5 feet, while my skirt remained under her other hoof... the skirt ripped off, the hoop went over my head, and I was sooooooooooo grateful I had my lace trimmed pantalets on, believe me!! And not the crotchless ones, as are proper for mid 1800's!!   ;D ;D

RumbaRue

A few of our gals in our pirate group got the ruffled petticoats/crinolins instead of hoops to wear under their skirts. It does a great job of puffing out the skirts.
Being Blond means I have the right to walk into any wall.

Betty Munro

Quote from: LaurenLee on January 07, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
I have bought my hoops from sutlers at civil war reenactments, or on-line.  Only cotton, and yes I did buy one with a ruffle over each of the 5 hoops, which also helped avoid the lampshade look.  Check online for sutlers who sell cotton hoop skirts (ebay seems to have mostly the bridal-satin type)...

I did the google search, I think this is it?  http://fcsutler.com/fcladys.asp#Hoops
You have to go down pretty faron the page to get to the ruffled hoops, but they sure do look nice!  For all the fabric and sewing, I think $100.00 is an excellent price!


RumbaRue

I suggest you find a bridal wear store, usually carry a supply of hoop petticoats of different types and crinolines that might be more cost effective than having to order one over the internet and have to pay for shipping too.
Being Blond means I have the right to walk into any wall.

Lady Rebecca

Moresca also has ruffled hoops. I bought mine when they were at Scarby last year, and it was $65 for a four-hoop petticoat.

ArielCallista

wow...I paid like $125 (including shipping) for my hoopsteel alone...also i ordered far too much cuz the pattern called for 8 hoops...that seemed obsurd...so instead I have 6...
my hoopsteel came from farthingales.on.ca...and so far I love them...someone said bolt cutters would cut thru the steel...it didnt work very well...I'm quite excited to see how my hoops do at Rendezvous...itll be my first time ever in noble garb!
Things are shaping up to be...
Pretty. Odd.