A sundress or summer dress is an informal or casual dress intended to be worn in warm weather, typically in a lightweight

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, most commonly

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

, and usually loose-fitting. It is commonly a bodice style

sleeveless A sleeveless shirt is a shirt that is manufactured without sleeves or whose sleeves have been cut off. Depending on the style, they can be worn as undershirts, by athletes in sports such as track and field and triathlon, or as casual wear by bot ...

dress, typically with a wide neckline and thin shoulder straps, and may be backless. A sundress is typically worn without a layering top and is not usually worn over a blouse, sweater, or t-shirt, or with leggings. While the word "sundress" was first used in the early 1940s, they really came into vogue in the 1950s, and were especially popularized by Lilly Pulitzer in the 1960s.

Current styles

The sundress is considered by many people to be both more practical and more comfortable than other varieties of dresses, particularly in warm or hot weather. Sundresses can be of any neckline and hemline, ranging from

mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

to full length. They are typically sleeveless and collarless, with a wide neckline and thin shoulder straps. Sundresses can use a variety of closure types, including back zippers, side zippers, front buttons, back buttons, back ties, pullover or other closure styles. They may also be without any closures or fasteners and put on over the head or slipped on by pulling up from below. Since the 1940s, a sundress-like one-piece swimsuit appeared, which is sometimes considered to be matronly or costumey nowadays.

References

External links

"Leading Questions; Buttoned Up, Or a Little Bare?"
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 25, 1989
Definition
''Dictionary.com'' 1960s fashion 1970s fashion 1980s fashion 1990s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Dresses History of fashion {{clothing-stub

Current styles

See also

References

External links