Crinoline Silhouette
クリノリン・シルエット / mid-1850s–late 1860s / Style / Fashion History
A mid-nineteenth-century silhouette system that joins concentric steel hoops with tapes beneath a skirt, spreading the whole circumference into a bell or dome. The mass-produced structure replaced layers of heavy petticoats and changed both the dress outline and the space a wearer occupied.
At a glance
Visual cues
- Bell or dome expanding evenly from waist to hem
- Regular tension from horizontal concentric hoops beneath the cloth
- A small fitted torso contrasted with a large circular base
- Tiered trim, flounces, or broad motifs repeating around the hem
Best used for
- Reconstructing an 1850s–1860s outline from its support rather than fabric bulk
- Giving a stage or photographic figure an even circular volume that reads in walking and turning
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Dictionary entry
- Type
- Keep small serif type near the vertical upper body instead of competing with the skirt's decoration.
- Composition
- Hold the torso vertical and expand the circumference in measured steps below the waist, keeping front, back, and sides nearly even.
- Material
- Join light steel or a safe modern substitute with vertical tapes, then add a smooth underlayer and enough outer-cloth sweep.
- Caution
- Do not confuse it with Pannier side width or a Bustle's rear projection. Test doors, seating, flame exposure, falls, and surrounding clearance at full scale; never force a body into unsafe compression.
- Further study
- 1856 wire cage crinoline and mass production / 1850s–1860s bell-shaped dress / mobility, satire and dress reform
Related entries
- Bustle Silhouette (バッスル・シルエット)Same Fashion History lineage.Compare Crinoline Silhouette and Bustle Silhouette
- Rational Dress (合理服運動)Same Fashion History lineage.Compare Crinoline Silhouette and Rational Dress
More from Fashion History
Continue through styles in the same Fashion History family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Pannier Silhouette (パニエ・シルエット)Shared effects: Luxury / Exhilaration / Nostalgia.
- Fashion Plate (ファッションプレート)Shared effects: Luxury / Nostalgia.
- Meisen Kimono (銘仙)Shared effects: Exhilaration / Nostalgia.
Browse all Fashion History entries
Cite this entry
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- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/crinoline-silhouette
- Markdown
- [Crinoline Silhouette — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/crinoline-silhouette)
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- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/crinoline-silhouette">Crinoline Silhouette — IndexStyle</a>