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A backless dress is a style of women’s clothing designed to expose the wearer's
back
The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...
. The back may be either partially exposed with a low cut or fully exposed with the use of strings. A backless
dress
A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers ...
is most commonly worn on formal occasions or as
evening wear or as
wedding dress
A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...
es and can be of any length, from a
miniskirt
A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...
-length to floor-length. Other backless styles include backless
swimsuit
A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or List of water sports, water sports, such as swimming, Diving (sport), diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Di ...
s and
tops
Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom.
TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...
, such as a
haltertop
Halterneck is a style of women's clothing strap that runs from the front of the garment around the back of the neck, generally leaving the upper back uncovered. The name comes from livestock halters. The word "halter" derives from the Germanic w ...
.
Evolution
![Clara Bow portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Clara_Bow_portrait.JPG)
Backless dresses first appeared in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the style became associated with the
sun tanning
Sun tanning or tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. It is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or from artificial sources, such as a tanning lamp found in indoor tanning beds. ...
fashions of the time, and the backless dress was a way of showing off a tan, usually without tan lines. The wearer usually had to be slim to be able to pull off the effect. In December 1937, the actress
Micheline Patton
Micheline Patton (1912 – 30 June 2001) was an Irish actress who worked on radio, stage and television from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s.
Biography
Micheline Elizabeth Patton was born in Belfast in 1912, and died on 30 June 2001 in Godalming ...
was controversially filmed from behind while wearing a backless dress in the final episode of the early
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
fashion documentary ''
Clothes-Line
''Clothes-Line'' was an early BBC television programme broadcast live in six parts between 30 September and 3 December 1937. It is notable for being the first television programme dedicated to the history of fashion.Taylor, Lou, ''Establishin ...
''.
[Taylor, Lou, ''Establishing Dress History'', chapter 2 (Manchester 2002) ] The illusion of nudity led to outraged viewers writing in to complain, and
Pearl Binder
Pearl Binder, Baroness Elwyn-Jones (pronounced ; 28 June 1904 – 25 January 1990) was a British writer, illustrator, stained glass, stained-glass artist, lithographer, sculptor and a champion of the Pearly King, Pearly Kings and Queens.
Bind ...
, who co-presented the show, quipped, "Grandmamma looks back but Micheline has no back to be seen."
[
]
Styles
A backless dress can be held up in a number of ways. The most common is by a single piece of cloth or strap which passes behind the wearer's neck
The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...
, halterneck
Halterneck is a style of women's clothing strap that runs from the front of the garment around the back of the neck, generally leaving the upper back uncovered. The name comes from livestock halters. The word "halter" derives from the Germanic wor ...
-style. The neck strap can itself be covered by the wearer's hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
, leaving the impression from behind that nothing is holding the dress up. Alternatively, the dress may be held up by short sleeves or by a single or two spaghetti strap
A spaghetti strap (also called noodle strap) is a very thin shoulder strap used to support clothing, while providing minimal shoulder straps over otherwise bare shoulders. It is commonly used in garments such as swimwear, camisoles, crop tops, br ...
s, which hold the dress up at the shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...
s. A stick-on dress is another way that a dress can be held up.
Choli
The backless style is also found in the choli
A choli (Hindi: चोली, Urdu: چولی, gu, ચોળી, mr, चोळी, Nepali: चोलो ''cholo'') (known in South India as ''ravike'' (Kannada: ರವಿಕೆ, Telugu: రవికె, Tamil: ரவிக்கை)) is a blou ...
, the blouse worn by Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
women along with sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
s and ghagra The ''lehenga'', ''lehnga'' or ''langa'' (also known as a ''ghagra'' or ''gagra'', ''chaniya'', ''pavadai'', or ''lacha'') is a form of ankle-length skirt from the Indian subcontinent. Different patterns and styles of traditional embroidery are used ...
s.
The back is either "partially exposed" with a low cut or "fully exposed" by use of strings. The backless styles were created mainly due to the influence of Western fashion.[ - ] It was made popular by Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters, ...
when she wore it and appeared in the ''Dhak Dhak'' song. "The drape and the blouse make the saree a sexy ensemble, and my blouses are always low back because I love the peep of the skin against so much fabric", as stated by Indian actress Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
.
Breast support
Breast support may be an issue for many women when wearing a backless dress, but nevertheless most women choosing this style of top prefer to go braless. Bra designs are available that offer breast support with backless dresses. Some bra designs use convertible styles, adhesive bras, underwire and strapless bras.
See also
* Halterneck
Halterneck is a style of women's clothing strap that runs from the front of the garment around the back of the neck, generally leaving the upper back uncovered. The name comes from livestock halters. The word "halter" derives from the Germanic wor ...
References
{{Clothing
20th-century fashion
21st-century fashion
Dresses
Human back