Petticoats
The precursor of the modern-day slip, petticoats were a woman’s flaring skirt-like garment, often ankle length and fastened at the waist with draw strings, worn with a gown or jacket for added warmth or to make the outer skirt fuller. Wool, cotton and linen were fabrics for daily use, with silk damask often used with the finest gowns. In earlier periods dresses and gowns were open-fronted robes with petticoats designed to fill the resulting gap. Originally they were not considered to be undergarments in the sense that a slip is today, and thus they were frequently decorated with embroidery and/or elaborate quilting of colorful fabrics.
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| A two-piece, open front, sack-back silk brocade robe a la Francaise. |
Rose silk two-piece sack-back open robe, consisting of a dress and petticoat. |
Reference note by p4A editorial staff, 02.2010.