Question

History has instances where the desire for adornment occasionally transcends practical concerns like comfort and wearability. Explain this with reference to ‘Panier’.

Answer 1

In 18th century Europe, women’s skirts expanded tremendously in width. The panier, a lighter supporting frame made of graduated oblong-shaped boned hoops stitched to an underskirt made the skirt so wide on either side of the hips that doors and stairways had to be widened to enable the wearer to pass
through.