hoop skirt

American  

noun

1. a woman's skirt made to stand out and drape in a stiff bell-like shape from the waist by an undergarment framework of flexible hoops connected by tapes.

2. the framework for such a skirt.

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Etymology

Origin of hoop skirt

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

Her latest role as Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh, Mary!” presented a different challenge: screaming and running across a stage in a hoop skirt.

From The Wall Street Journal

She yells, stomps her feet and raises her hoop skirt and petticoat to scandalous heights.

From Salon

I love the vintage-y drama of the enormous hoop skirt, the unexpected casualness of the buttoned top, the beautiful shape of it all — not to mention the added bonus of some aggressively enforced personal space.

From Seattle Times

Her Marie Antoinette-style dress is elegant and intricate, with detailed lace along the edges, an angular corset and different white, pink and gold layers filling out the hoop skirt.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m wearing a hoop skirt, so I can’t do that much. Sitting down was a nightmare.”

From New York Times