Susan
"Slow down. The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel
too fast and you miss all you are traveling for". - "Ride the Dark
Trail" by Louis L'Amour
On Mar 10, 2006, at 4:48 AM, Elizabeth Walpole wrote:
While we're on the topic of Equestrian Costume I came across this
fashion plate
http://www.costumes.org/history/victorian/women/fashionplates/
1859septharpers.jpg from 1859. I was under the impression that women
didn't wear hoops or skirt supports (of whatever style was fashionable
at the time) when they were riding (as hoops would stand out from the
horse's side giving those below a view straight up your skirt and
bustles or paniers would get in the way of you sitting on the horse),
but it seems difficult to believe there isn't a crinoline under that
skirt.
Does anybody have an explanation for why she would wear a crinoline
with her riding costume? All I can think of is that maybe it's a way
to use up the extra length in the riding habit, but the 2 big problems
with that are A. all the fullness is on one side and B. it would mean
putting a crinoline on underneath your skirts in public. And I'm
pretty sure Victorian riding habits were only worn when you planned to
be actually riding, so no chance of having one for show and one for
actually getting on a horse.
I'm stumped, if anybody else can offer insights I'm really curious to
know.
Elizabeth
--------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Walpole
Canberra Australia
ewalpole[at]tpg.com.au
http://au.geocities.com/e_walpole/
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