noun
- stiff petticoats or hooped skirts worn under dresses to make them stand out, especially popular in the 19th century
Usage: historical fashion
Examples
- Victorian women wore crinolines to achieve the fashionable bell-shaped silhouette.
- The museum’s costume collection includes several elaborate crinolines from the 1850s.
- Walking through doorways was difficult when wearing wide crinolines.
- The actress struggled with her crinolines during the period drama rehearsal.
- Crinolines were made with steel hoops or whalebone to maintain their shape.
- Fashion historians study crinolines to understand 19th-century women’s clothing.