Im strongly leaning getting one..
1) I dont care for those metal hoops..
My query is? Are they washable, and....is it less full then a hoop slip?
If it's farthingale full, fine by me,,and will it NOT show the bottom metal hoop ring?
That's my pet peeve..
Gramercy..:)
My hoops are actually plastic coated wire. I wash and bleach mine in the bathtub and hang it out to dry outside.
I got my full length Crinoline from the thrift store, in the Wedding section. Same with hoops in 2 widths. total $20.00
You have to keep checking the stores. The Crinoline was used to wrap fine china in.
I recommend against them. They will get caught on things because they are made of net, they have a tendency to bunch up in odd places (so you won't always wind up with round skirt like you will with a hooped farthingale), they will be significantly hotter, since you will have all of those layers laying against your legs, and they will be harder to keep clean.
Plus, it's nice and easy to pick up your skirts with a hoop if you're walking over something like puddles, and you can't do that easily with crinolines.
Lady Rebecca, you made my decision easier...Gramercy. Ill order a farthingale..Just am not a big fan of those wire hoops, coated or not..
I have both. And I like the crinoline for when I don't want the huge bell of the hoop (try driving in a car with a hoop). Sometimes I put the hoop on in the parking lot, but I don't always feel like doing that, pulling up all the skirts, flashing my bloomers to the world.
Both of them give you 2 different looks. I wouldn't wear my noble (Countess) garb without the hoop, but if I'm not going as noble, but if I still want to have some puffing out, I wear the crinoline with other garb.
The hoop came from Ebay about 14 years ago, about $20, steel hoops, still holding up fine. The crinoline came from Goodwill, also in the wedding section, and cost around $6.
Quote from: Lady Catharine on May 10, 2011, 05:29:09 PM
Lady Rebecca, you made my decision easier...Gramercy. Ill order a farthingale..Just am not a big fan of those wire hoops, coated or not..
What I do recommend, as far as the hoops go, is to get one with ruffles on each layer, so your hoops won't show through. They shouldn't be too hard to find. Mine is from Moresca, from about 3 yrs ago, and I think it cost me about $60. (It's a four hoop with the bottom circumference about 120") It's very sturdy, and I've never had problems with the hoops bending out of shape (my mom got a cheap one from a bridal shop, and that was her biggest complaint). When it's not in use, I slide the hoop steel out of the casings, and coil them in a canvas drawstring bag.
60.00 is a good price for a custom farthingale and the average price is 65.00-80.00 depending on the number and width of the hoops.
I love to shop thrift stores but the problem with wedding hoops and crinolines is that they are only meant to last one day, and they are constructed accordingly from cheap fabrics and made with flimsy seams. Good enough until you can get a decent one.
A pity the poor bride probably paid 3x what you would pay for a cotton farthingale.
A better (easier, more comfortable, just in general all-around happier) alternative to a wire hoop farthingale would be a rope petticoat (http://www.historicalalterations.com/RenUndies/Italpeas.htm) or to stiffen the hem (http://aneafiles.webs.com/renaissancegallery/doppia.html) of your gowns/skirts with some other method.
What Gem said. For a later look, a simple bumroll around the hips is awesome. Mine is just calico cotton I filled with pillow stuffing. As for a hoop skirt, I've had mine from Moresca for years. I just wash it in the bathtub once in a while and let it hang up to dry. As all my fellow Pennsic campmates have learned -it can take two grown men to lift that thing when it's REALLY wet so be wary of that!
I don't have a tub, we removed our 2 yrs ago for a built in shower...what God send it is..now I'm thoroughly confussed...
Quote from: Lady Catharine on May 11, 2011, 01:13:24 PM
I don't have a tub, we removed our 2 yrs ago for a built in shower...what God send it is..now I'm thoroughly confussed...
Then get one of the body tubberware tubs (ie,the kind criminals hide bodies in) and wash it in that outside. They cost about $4 at walmart. You can hang it up outside to dry.
...But if you're not wearing it to a muddy campsite and living in it for days, you probably won't need to wash it all that often, anyway. I've never had to wash my farthingale.
...And if you *do* get it muddy or spill something on it or whatnot, you should be able to remove the hoops.
No reason to be confused! Look at it simply and decide what you need (it's a little hard to tell from your first post, since all you told us was washable/no hoop ring).
Your options:
--Bumroll
--Farthingale/hoop skirt (look for one with ruffles to conceal the hoops)
--Rope petticoat
--Stiffened hem
Here's a sort of related question: What sized hoop is best with an elizabethan gown? Apparently the farthingale I just got from Castle garden is too wide...It was made to go with an Jane Seymore type of gown.
Quote from: Rowen MacD on May 11, 2011, 03:17:57 PM
Here's a sort of related question: What sized hoop is best with an elizabethan gown? Apparently the farthingale I just got from Castle garden is too wide...It was made to go with an Jane Seymore type of gown.
Jane Seymore wasn't Elizabethan. ;) She was still firmly in what is commonly called the Tudor period. What you want is a more conical shape. I'd say a 90" max for the bottom ring on the farthingale but that would be for me to have the two inverted triangular shape that was popular at the time. Avoid bell shape hoops.
I wash mine whenever I wash my petticoat or underskirt/etc. All I do is slide out the hoop steel and throw it in the washing machine, then hang dry. It dries pretty quickly, and it's always turned out fine.
Gramercy Gem..