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Pink Tulle Petticoat: The Pauper Dress
The petticoat is an essential building block that gives the bottom of the dress its large bell shape. To honor the Barbie influence in the original Pauper Dress costume, this petticoat was made from light pink tulle. The color and material adds a subtle nod to the original character while still providing the volume and structure needed for the silhouette, despite being one of the few divergences from the historically accurate crinoline of this time-period.
Petticoat vs Crinoline
Petticoats were historically made from multiple layers of cotton to achieve the silhouette of the decade, which often meant they were heavy and hot—especially depending on a person’s social station and how many layers they wore. This challenge was eventually solved with the
invention of the crinoline, or hoop skirt, a cage of steel and cotton or linen that supported the weight of the outer skirts. It allowed for larger silhouettes, dramatically reduced the overall weight, and made clothing much cooler and more comfortable to wear.