bustle

thumb|250px|Bustle, lady's undergarment, England, c. 1885. Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.2007.211.399 A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. As a result a woman's petticoated skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear (from merely sitting down or moving about).

== Origin == Women throughout history have used various methods to shape their skirts to accentuate the back of the hips. Padded cushions, historically called "bum rolls", "bearers", and "cork rumps", were among the many methods popular in Europe. They enjoyed sporadic popularity starting in the 16th century and were especially popular in France in the late 18th century. The crinoline was a type of integrated padded petticoat that developed from this technology. The more elaborate and specialized bustle eventually replaced the crinoline. While the wireframe bustle was popular only very briefly, simpler padded cushions returned after the bustle went out of fashion, and have remained popular.