Dress

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For the general concept of dress, see Clothing. For other uses, see Dress (disambiguation).

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"Dresses" redirects here. For the song by Betty Blowtorch, see Betty Blowtorch § Discography.

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Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres depicts the Countess d'Haussonville, wearing a dress

A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). In Western culture, dresses are more often worn by women and girls.

The hemlines of dresses vary depending on the whims of fashion and the modesty or personal taste of the wearer.[1]

History

19th century

Dresses increased dramatically to the hoopskirt and crinoline-supported styles of the 1860s; then fullness was draped and drawn to the back. Dresses had a "day" bodice with a high neckline and long sleeves, and an "evening" bodice with a low neckline (decollete) and very short sleeves.

Throughout this period, the length of fashionable dresses varied only slightly, between ankle-length and floor-sweeping.[1]

20th and 21st centuries

A typical pre-prom gathering, with girls in dresses, and boys in tuxedos

Beginning around 1915, hemlines for daytime dresses left the floor for good. For the next fifty years fashionable dresses became short (1920s), then long (1930s), then shorter (the War Years with their restrictions on fabric), then long (the "New Look").

Since the 1970s, no one dress type or length has dominated fashion for long, with short and ankle-length styles often appearing side-by-side in fashion magazines and catalogs. [2]

Usage

In most varieties of formal dress codes in Western cultures, a dress of an appropriate style is mandatory for women. They are also very popular for special occasions such as proms or weddings.[3] For such occasions they remain the de facto standard attire for most women.

Lengths

  • Long dress - a floor-length gown typically worn for evening or formal occasions.

  • 1970s Laura Ashley dresses 05.jpg

    Maxi dresses (c.1970) - Maxi is a term used since the late 1960s for ankle-length, typically informal dresses.[4]

  • Fabiana Semprebom2.jpg

    Midi dress, a mid-calf length dress.

  • 5-promotional-models-fenasucro.JPG

    Knee length

  • 1968 Uniforme Iberia por Manuel Pertegaz (5536701449).jpg

    Mini dress (1968). Introduced in the 1960s, mini-length hemlines hit between the knee and upper thigh.

  • Micro dress (right) with minidresses, 2008.

Types

Defined by cut/construction

  • Himeji Oshiro Matsuri 106.JPG

    Bouffant gown, an elaborate gown with a puffed or 'bouffant' skirt.

  • Bustle dress, a dress with exaggerated back fullness or detailing. (1870s onwards)

  • Crinoline dress, a dress with an exaggeratedly full skirt supported by hoops or multiple petticoats. (1850s onwards)

  • Frock, a "girlish" style of dress. Frock is also a term for a type of man's coat.

  • Hyde Grammar School netball 1949.jpg

    Gymslip, a sleeveless tunic most commonly worn as part of a girl's school uniform.

  • Mary Quant 'Rex Harrison' cardigan dress chosen as Dress of the Year, 1963.jpg

    Jumper dress, a sleeveless dress worn over a blouse.

  • Princess dress, a fitted dress shaped by long shaped panels and seams rather than by darts.

  • No40034COSTUMES mariniere pour fillettes jupe plissee.png

    Sailor dress, a dress with sailor collar and styling. Also known as a Peter Thomson dress.

  • Sheath dress, a form fitting (or sheath-like) dress.

  • Shift dress 1960s vintage.jpg

    Shift dress or chemise, a short, sleeveless dress in a simple style with little detailing

  • Shirtdress, a dress borrowing details from the style of a men's shirt, often including collar or front buttons

  • Slip dress, a dress closely resembling a petticoat.

  • Reese Witherspoon 2012.jpg

    Strapless dress, a dress with no visible means of support (usually held up by interior corsetry or boning, or by elasticated fabric.)

  • Trapeze dress, an exaggerated A-line dress flaring from a fitted shoulder.

  • Diane von Fürstenberg Spring-Summer 2014 18.jpg

    Wrap dress, a dress having a front closure which wraps around the body, forming a v-shaped neckline

Defined by purpose/function

  • USMC-110917-M-M3725-134.jpg

    Ball gown, a very formal dress, typically elaborate and floor-length.

  • Catherine masse.jpg

    Cocktail dress, a semi-formal dress suitable for cocktail parties or similar events.

  • Debutantes having a dress rehearsal, February 2009.jpg

    Débutante dress, a white dress worn by young women at debutante cotillions.

  • Evening gown, a dress worn for evening or formal occasions.

  • Nelly Don house dress, May 1922 07.png

    House dress, an informal dress worn for housework.

  • Brittneylaramee.JPG

    Little black dress, an evening or cocktail dress, often short, a popular wardrobe staple since the 1920s.

  • Longnightgown.jpg

    Nightdress, worn as sleepwear, available in a variety of styles.

  • Sundress, a lightweight, usually sleeveless dress intended for wearing in warmer weather.

  • Tea gown, a late 19th/early 20th-century gown intended for wearing at home for tea and other informal social occasions.

  • STEPH FAVES 043.jpg

    There are numerous styles of wedding dress worn exclusively by the bride at her wedding. In Western cultures, white is the most popular colour.

  • Traditional Japanese kimono-style wedding dress

  • Traditional Bahrain wedding dress.

In world culture

  • Muslim Clothing Abaya.jpg

    Abaya, a loose over-dress or caftan associated with the Muslim world.

  • In front of palace-crop.JPG

    Áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese dress often worn over long pants.

  • 1970s CAL female flight attendants uniform in ROC-SYSMH 20131015.jpg

    Cheongsam (or qipao), a one-piece Chinese dress.

  • Kimono2.jpg

    Kimono, the traditional layered dress of Japan.

  • Kameez/qameez/qamis, a generic term for tunics and gowns typically worn over pants (shalwar) in Muslim and South Asian cultures.

  • Sari, a style of clothing worn by women in the Indian Subcontinent.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ changing hemlines
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Brockmamn, Helen L.: The Theory of Fashion Design, Wiley, 1965.
  • Picken, Mary Brooks: The Fashion Dictionary, Funk and Wagnalls, 1957. (1973 edition ISBN 0-308-10052-2)
  • Tozer, Jane, and Sarah Levitt: Fabric of Society: A Century of People and Their Clothes 1770–1870, Laura Ashley Ltd., 1983; ISBN 0-9508913-0-4

External links

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