This is the second part of the petticoat school; first one you could find here: Petticoat school – Part 1.

Things you should consider when you are buying a petticoat:

• What is the desired “look” you are going for? Depending on your style your choice of petticoat will be different; a Lolita might want a puffy bell shaped petticoat. Maybe you want it straight and out on the ends while being solid? Down and only fluffy at the end? My favorite in this is when it’s fluffy enough to look ridiculous when you sit down in a bus.

• Put some thoughts to what dress/skirt you are having on top of the petticoat. If it’s a very heavy fabric you might need to consider having a more solid and firm petticoat to make it stand out.

• Something else to consider is if you want the petticoat to be seen or if it’s going to be under. Why this is something to consider is because you want to know the desired length of the pettocoat. So if you know the length of the dress/skirt above and if you want the petticoat to be seen (like 1 dm). If the petticoat is to long you could always roll it up by the waist, thus most petticoats have a waistband that’s easy to roll.

• Be very wary of the “one size fits them all”. I have so far been lucky with the ones I have bought. But if you are a size smaller or bigger you need to be very careful. It could either be too small and slide down or be too small to get over your booty. If you are lucky its a waistband in an easy pocket that you could modify yourself.

• I would also say that it’s a good idea to consider what you are going to wear under your petticoat. The waistband on the petticoat could be very hard or scratchy to have directly on your skin. Depending on how the waistband looks like and feels you might need to have some kind of fabric under to avoid marks.

• Lastly but maybe most obvious is that the more the petticoat cost the more you get for your money. If the petticoat seems to be too good to be true in price it usually is. I would say it’s more worth buying a petticoat that’s a bit pricey but knowing it’s not going to die on you.

Taking care of the petticoat

To keep your petticoat fluffy is a struggle, believe me. Theyw ill eventually die on us but we can make them last and have a good fluff for as long as we can with these tips:

• When taking a petticoat off- start with your shoes. It might sound like an obvious thing. It isn’t.A slipper might not do much damage to a petticoat but heels will. Make it a routine to always take your shoes off first.

• When taking a petticoat out from the drawer or where you are storing it, it will not say “puff” and have a lovely fluff. Some will depending on the material you have chosen. But most of the times you need to fluff it out yourself by taking it out in good time before wearing it and shake some fluff into it.

• Try putting it inside out and shake it. It’s almost like when you brush your hair upside down and it goes all pooooofff.

• When storing it I would say hang it inside out. I know petticoats take a lot of room but storing them hanging is sometimes better than having them in a drawer. Having it tucked in will make your fluff die faster and give you a harder time to fluff it out. Keep it on a hanger or, store it standing up if it’s a hard crinoline- but inside out.

• When washing a petticoat it’s a big struggle, I would say don’t make it dirty so you never need to. Most of the dirt will go to the skirt/dress wearing over it and mostly the waistband will be the place they get dirty. But if it gets dirty and you need to wash it. I would say a washing machine isn’t the worst idea. But be sure to set the program to delicate and don’t put anything else in with it. Are you very scared the machine will kill it you could hand wash it. You will only need a very small amount of detergent. Regular detergent is fine but a mild soap (or shampoo) is much better for the fabric.

• To dry the petticoat I would never suggest you to hang it up to dry. The water will pull the petticoat down and it will lose the fluff. If you have a tumble drier I would say use that! Otherwise I would say the best thing is to lay it on the floor.

• Your Petticoat might get some creases and that’s normal and nothing to be afraid of. You could leave it like that because they will not been seen under another skirt/dress. Otherwise you could use the tumbler drier again for just some seconds, place it in the bathroom and let it steam from having a warm shower or the best way is to have a professional clothes steamer.