Petticoat

Made specifically for women, a petticoat is a popular item of clothing that generally hangs down from the waist. A petticoat is mostly used as an undergarment, which is worn under a dress, sari or skirt. In early times, petticoats were any skirt worn along with a jacket, gown or bodice. These garments were meant to be seen unlike modern petticoats. As early as the sixteenth century, petticoats were an integral part of womenís fashion. They gave the skirt an aesthetically pleasing dome shape that made the waist of the woman appear smaller than it was. In the 1939 movie ëGone with the Wind,í Vivien Leigh exhibited the type of petticoat worn by women in the nineteenth century.

Resembling skirts in shape, modern petticoats provide warmth and shape to women. This type of garment is also known as an underskirt or a waist slip. The term ëpetticoatí is sometimes used for a full-length slip or any undergarment worn with non-western clothing. Ankle-length petticoats are an important part of the costume of women in old rural UK. There is a great demand for slip petticoats and bridal petticoats among British women. Most brides opt for wedding petticoats that provide them with the right shape.