A decorative flounce, ruffle, or pleated trim used to ornament clothing or furniture, popular in 18th-century fashion.
From French 'falbala', possibly from Italian or Spanish sources. Entered English in the 1700s with high fashion terminology.
Falbalas became so excessive in 18th-century court dress that satirists mocked them relentlessly—one poem complained that women were so buried in ruffles they barely resembled humans underneath.
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