The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CRINOLINE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
R
I
N
O
L
I
N
E
More clues leading to the result CRINOLINE
- Councillor in row about old hooped skirt
- Credit one number with style for female garment
- King Charles wearing old brand, outstanding period clothing
- Netting caught animal without hard work
- Garment an abomination putting me off — no brand to follow
- Cold wrought iron to reinforce stiff framework
- Does her bum look big in this?
- Fabric company clothing most of band with narrow stripe
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Fabric" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fabric = crinoline.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CRINOLINE mean?
CRINOLINE noun- A stiff fabric made from cotton and horsehair.
- A stiff petticoat made from this fabric.
- A skirt stiffened with hoops.
- Any of the hoops making up the framework used to support cladding over a boiler.
- Netting placed around ships to guard against torpedoes.