The act of puffing or swelling; possibly a textile term relating to puffy or gathered fabric.
From French 'bouffer' (to puff, swell, or blow out) + French suffix -age. The word reflects French terminology in tailoring and fabric work, likely imported with 18th-century fashion vocabulary.
In fashion history, bouffage describes those gorgeous puffy sleeves and gathered skirts that made people look twice their actual size—fabric manipulation as an art form!
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