Train (clothing)

Court dress with long train. Portugal, c.1845.

In clothing, a train describes the long back portion of a skirt, overskirt, or dress that trails behind the wearer. It is a common part of a woman's court dress, formal evening gowns or wedding dress.

In the Roman Catholic Church the cappa magna (literally, "great cape"), a form of mantle, is a voluminous ecclesiastical vestment with a long train. Cardinals, bishops, and certain other honorary prelates are entitled to wear the cappa magna.

Types of train

Fashion

• Court train - Worn for formal court occasions, the court train had to fall in with strict dress codes which differed from court to court. For example, the French court code set in 1804 by Jean-Baptiste Isabey prescribed a four-inch maximum width for embroidered train borders for non-Royal wearers.
• Double train - Two trains attached to the same dress, or a single train divided into two trails.
• Fishtail train - A train popular at various times from the 1870s onwards, flaring out from mid-way down a close-fitting skirt.

Wedding dress

Trains in modern (20th and 21st century) bridal wear have their own terminology:

• Cathedral train - also known as a monarch train, this can measure up to eight feet (2.4 metres). A royal cathedral train is considered the longest, most formal train, measuring up to ten feet (3 metres) or more.
• Chapel train - a medium length train up to five feet (1.1 to 1.5 metres) long.
• Court train - in bridal terminology, a court train is a narrow train extending 1 metre behnd.
• Sweep train - a short train that does not necessarily reach the floor. It is so called because it might just sweep the ground.
• Watteau train - a modern version of the pleated backs (called 'Watteau pleats') seen in 18th century sack-back gowns.

Gallery

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  Isabeau of Bavaria with long ermine-lined train; c. late 14th century or early 15th century

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  Mantua with train, 1698.

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  Court dress and train, English, 1822.

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  Dress with a fishtail train, French, c. 1880. LACMA

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  Detail of the previous dress.

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  Evening gown with train, 1883.

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  Court presentation dress and train, 1897.

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  Short wedding dress with long train attached. 1920s.

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  Swedish evening dress with fuchsia train, 1930s.

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  Japanese bride in a white dress with train, 2007.

References

• Black, J. Anderson and Madge Garland: A History of Fashion, Morrow, 1975. ISBN 0-688-02893-4
• Payne, Blanche: History of Costume from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century, Harper & Row, 1965. No ISBN for this edition; ASIN B0006BMNFS