ABSTRACT
Towards the end of the sixteenth century, when distortion of shape in both men's and women's costume reached its peak, the padded roll became so large and cumbersome that cane or whalebone was again used in the petticoat; this time it was placed high in the skirt on a level with the waistline, pleats radiating from the waist kept it in position, and the long busc point of the boned body which rested on the edge of this frame produced the fashionable tilt. It was usually narrower in front than at the back. From its shape it was known as the "wheel farthingale". This shape may also have been produced by a wheellike extension of the basque of the boned body, either stitched to it at the waist or attached there by laces (8). This wheel farthingale was worn until about 1620, though portraits showing a simpler type of dress, without a farthingale, are common in England from a much earlier date. The padded roll never entirely disappeared; it became much smaller and may be seen down to about 1640. The very slender line of this century, however, was of such short duration that some form of padded roll or a pair of hip-pads must usually have been worn to give the skirts their correct hang.
