And Then Again We Couldn’t

We never saw a hobble skirt,

     Although we wouldn’t mind one;

But we take pains to here assert

     We wouldn’t hide behind one.

c. June 16, ‘10

    A hobble skirt was a skirt with a narrow enough hem to significantly impede the wearer's stride, and was a short-lived fashion trend around the turn of the twentieth century and the early 1910s. The name was given in reference to the device used to restrain, or hobble, horses. A knee-long corset was also used to achieve this effect. A dress consisting of such skirt was called a hobble dress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobble_skirt