Undergarments page 1  2  3  4
Undergarments

Elizabethan costuming requires special under garment to shape the  body into the desired silhouette.

Farthingales

I will fully admit to using commercial hoop skirts. However, I purchased mine through a local costume shop not a bridal store. I was sure to get one that was made of cotton and used sprung steel So far I have had no difficulty with them supporting even the heaviest of my gowns. I do not use the rope farthingales because they are quite heavy and I don't have access to whalebone (and have a moral objection to whale hunting.) 
One will note that even modern versions are made on the same lines as their period ancestor. The inverted triangle was known as the Spanish Farthingale. 
 


Detail of farthingale

Arnold, QEWU pg. 196

Arnold, QEWU pg. 194. 

A cartoon sent to me by my mom that sums up the virtues of the farthingale,

Arnold, QEWU pg. 197