A dress (also known as a

frock Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing, typically coat-like, for men and women. Terminology In British English and in Commonwealth countries the word may be used as an alternative term for a girl's or ...

or a

gown A gown, from the Saxon word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the term ''gown ...

) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a

skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts ar ...

with an attached

bodice A bodice () is an article of clothing traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the ...

(or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

). It consists of a top piece that covers the torso and hangs down over the legs. A dress can be any one-piece garment containing a skirt of any length, and can be formal or casual. A dress can have sleeves, straps, or be held up with elastic around the chest, leaving the shoulders bare. Dresses also vary in color. The

hemline The hemline is the line formed by the lower edge of a garment, such as a skirt, dress or coat, measured from the floor. The hemline is perhaps the most variable style line in fashion, changing shape and ranging in height from hip-high to floor- ...

s of dresses vary depending on modesty, weather,

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

or the personal taste of the wearer.

Overview

Dresses are outer garments made up of a

and a

and can be made in one or more pieces. Dresses are generally suitable for both

formal wear Formal wear or full dress is the Western dress code category applicable for the most formal occasions, such as weddings, christenings, confirmations, funerals, Easter and Christmas traditions, in addition to certain state dinners, audien ...

and casual wear in the West for women and girls. Historically, dresses could also include other items of clothing such as corsets,

kirtle A kirtle (sometimes called cotte, cotehardie) is a garment that was worn by men and women in the Middle Ages. It eventually became a one-piece garment worn by women from the late Middle Ages into the Baroque period. The kirtle was typically worn ...

partlet A partlet or partlett was a 16th century fashion accessory. The partlet was a sleeveless garment worn over the neck and shoulders, either worn over a dress or worn to fill in a low neckline. The earliest partlets appeared in late 15th century fas ...

petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British En ...

s, smocks, and

stomacher A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies ...

History

11th century

In the 11th century, women in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

wore dresses that were similar to men's tunics and were loose, with a hemline reaching to below the knees or lower. By the end of the century, these dresses featured a tighter fit on the arms and women's upper bodies. Dresses were made snug by featuring slits on the sides of the dress that were pulled tight in order to fit a woman's figure.

16th century

Starting in the 1550s, middle- and upper-class women in Europe wore dresses which included a smock, stays,

, forepart, sleeves, ruff and a

. Undergarments were not worn underneath. In England, Queen Elizabeth dictated what kinds of dresses women were allowed to wear. French women were inspired by Spanish-style

s and also wore ruffs. French dresses were known as ''marlottes''. In Italy, dresses were known as ''ropa'' and ''semarra.'' Dresses in the 16th century also displayed surface decoration such as

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

, with blackwork being especially popular. Women's dresses in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

during both the 16th and 17th centuries identified a woman's place in society or their family.

17th century

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, as a center of textile production, was a particularly noted area of innovation in dress fashion during the 17th Century. In Spain and Portugal, women wore

s while in England and France, dresses became more "naturally" shaped. Lace and slashing were popular decorations. Skirts were full, with regular folds and the overskirt allowed the display of an underskirt of contrasting fabric. Necklines became lower as well. Embroidery that reflected scientific discoveries, such as newly discovered animals and plants were popular. In the

British Colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Coun ...

, multi-piece dresses were also popular, though less luxurious. Wealthy women living in the Spanish or Dutch colonies in the Americas copied the fashions that were popular from their homelands. The three-piece dress, which had a bodice, petticoat and gown, was popular until the last 25 years of the century, in which the

mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

, or a one-piece gown, became more popular. Corsets became more important in dresses by the 1680s. Working women, and women in slavery in the Americas, used simple patterns to create shifts, wool or linen petticoats and gowns and cotton dresses. The bottoms of the skirts could be tucked into the waistband when a woman was near a cooking or heating fire.

18th century

Large, triangular silhouettes were favored during the 18th century, skirts were wide and supported by hoop underskirts. One-piece gowns remained popular until the middle of the century. During the 1760s in France, hoop petticoats were reduced in size. Lighter colors and lighter fabrics were also favored. In Colonial America, women most often wore a gown and petticoat, in which the skirt of the gown opened to reveal the

underneath. Women also had

riding habit A riding habit is women's clothing for horseback riding. Since the mid-17th century, a formal habit for riding sidesaddle usually consisted of: * A tailored jacket with a long skirt (sometimes called a petticoat) to match * A tailored shirt o ...

s which consisted of the petticoat, jacket and a waistcoat. French fashion regarding dresses became very fast-changing during the later part of the 18th century. Throughout this period, the length of fashionable dresses varied only slightly, between ankle-length and floor-sweeping. Between 1740 and 1770, the '' robe à la française'' was very popular with upper-class women. In France, the

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...

became popular after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. This more simple style was also favored by Josephine Bonaparte, wife of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Other popular styles during the revolution included tunic dresses and the ''negligée à la patriot,'' which featured the red, white and blue colors of the flag.

19th century

Women's dresses in the 19th century began to be classified by the time of day or purpose of the dress. High-waisted dresses were popular until around 1830. Early nineteenth century dresses in Russia were influenced by

Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

and were made of thin fabrics, with some semi-transparent. Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun wore these types of dresses with a short skirt (reaching to her ankles) when she lived in Russia between 1785 and 1801 and many Russian women copied her style. By the 1840s, Russian women were turning to what was in fashion in Europe. Europeans styles in dresses increased dramatically to the

hoopskirt A hoop skirt or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape. It originated as a modest-sized mechanism for holding long skirts away from one's legs, to stay cooler in hot climat ...

and

crinoline A crinoline is a stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which was ...

-supported styles of the 1860s, then fullness was draped and drawn to the back. Dresses had a "day" bodice with a high

neckline The neckline is the top edge of a garment that surrounds the neck, especially from the front view. Neckline also refers to the overall line between all the layers of clothing and the neck and shoulders of a person, ignoring the unseen undergarmen ...

and long sleeves, and an "evening" bodice with a low neckline ( decollete) and very short sleeves. In Russia, metal hoopskirts were known as "malakhovs." Skirts of the 1860s were heavily decorated. To sleep, women in the American West wore floor-length dresses of white

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 pe ...

with high collars displaying decoration. Various Native American people, such as the Navajo and the

Mescalero Apache Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-c ...

began to adapt the designs of their dresses to look more like the European Americans they came in contact with. Navajo women further adapted the European designs, incorporating their own sense of beauty, "creating ''hózhó."'' Paper sewing patterns for women to sew their own dresses started to be readily available in the 1860s, when the Butterick Publishing Company began to promote them. These patterns were graded by size, which was a new innovation. The Victorian era's dresses were tight-fitting and decorated with pleats, rouching and frills. Women in the United States who were involved in

dress reform Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...

in the 1850s found themselves the center of attention, both positive and negative. By 1881, the Rational Dress Society had formed in reaction to the restrictive dress of the era.

20th century

In the early twentieth century, the look popularized by the

Gibson Girl The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries in th ...

was fashionable. The upper part of women's dresses in the

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victor ...

included a "pigeon breast" look that gave way to a corseted waist and an s-shaped silhouette. Women called their dresses "waists" if one-piece, or " shirtwaists," if it consisted of a skirt and a blouse. The bodice of the dresses had a boned lining. Informally, wealthy women wore

tea gown A tea gown or tea-gown is a woman's dress for informal entertaining at home. These dresses, which became popular around the mid-19th century, are characterized by unstructured lines and light fabrics. Early tea gowns were a European development in ...

s at home. These garments were looser, though not as loose as a "wrapper," and made of expensive fabric and laces. By 1910, the Edwardian look was replaced with a straighter silhouette. French designer,

Paul Poiret Paul Poiret (20 April 1879 – 30 April 1944, Paris, France) was a French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house. Early life and care ...

, had a huge impact on the look of the time. Designs developed by Poiret were available in both boutiques and also in

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s. Popular dresses of the time were one-piece and included lingerie dresses which could be layered. At around the same time, in the United States, the American Ladies Tailors' Association developed a dress called the suffragette suit, which was practical for women to work and move around in. Another innovation of the 1910s was the ready availability of factory-made clothing. Waistlines started out high and by 1915 were below the natural waist. By 1920, waistlines were at hip-level. Between 1910 and 1920 necklines were lower and dresses could be short-sleeved or sleeveless. Women who worked during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

preferred shorter dresses, which eventually became the dominant style overall. In addition to the shorter dresses, waistlines were looser and the dominant colors were black, white and gray. By 1920, the "new woman" was a trend that saw lighter fabrics and dresses that were easier to put on. Younger women were also setting the trends that older women started to follow. The dresses of the 1920s could be pulled over the head, were short and straight. It was acceptable to wear sleeveless dresses during the day.

Flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered accepta ...

dresses were popular until end of the decade. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, dresses were slimmer and inspired by military uniforms. After WWII, the New Look, promoted by Christian Dior was very influential on fashion and the look of women's dresses for about a decade. 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.

Use

In most varieties of formal

dress codes A dress code is a set of rules, often written, with regard to what clothing groups of people must wear. Dress codes are created out of social perceptions and norms, and vary based on purpose, circumstances, and occasions. Different societies an ...

in Western cultures, a dress of an appropriate style is mandatory for women. They are also very popular for special occasions such as

prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school y ...

s or

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s. For such occasions they, together with blouse and

, remain the de facto standard attire for many girls and women.

Formal dress

In western countries, a "formal" or

white tie White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal in traditional evening western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a wh ...

dress code typically means tailcoats for men and full-length evening dresses with opera-length gloves for women. A most formal dress for women are full-length ball or

evening gown An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening ...

s with

evening gloves Ladies' evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow. Ladies' gloves for formal and semi-formal wear come in three lengths for women: wrist, elbow, and opera or full-length (over the elbow, usually ...

. Some white tie functions also request that the women wear long

gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glo ...

past the elbow.

Basic dress

A basic dress is a usually dark-colored dress of simple design which can be worn with various

accessories Accessory may refer to: * Accessory (legal term), a person who assists a criminal In anatomy * Accessory bone * Accessory muscle * Accessory nucleus, in anatomy, a cranial nerve nucleus * Accessory nerve In arts and entertainment * Accessory ...

to suit different occasions. Different kinds of jewelry, belts, scarves, and jackets can be worn with the basic dress to dress up or down. A

little black dress The little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel. It is intended to be long-lasting, versat ...

is an example of a basic dress.

Bodycon dress

A bodycon dress is a tight figure-hugging dress, often made from stretchy material. The name derives from "body confidence" or, originally, "body conscious", transformed into Japanese in the 1980s as "bodikon".

Party dress

A party dress is a dress worn especially for a

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

. Different types of party such as

children's party A children's party or kids' party is a party for children such as a birthday party or tea party. Since medieval times, children have dressed specially for such occasions. Children's birthday parties originated in Germany as ''kinderfeste''. ...

, cocktail party,

garden party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

and

costume party A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock chara ...

would tend to require different styles of dress. One classic style of party dress for women in modern society is the

Types of dresses

Time period

File:Muzei Leventis-Green Dress.jpg, 16th century dress. File:Harlekinadräkt troligen buren av Ulrika Eleonora d. ä. på maskerad, 1656-1693 - Livrustkammaren - 5098.tif, Calico dress, File:Mantua MET 33.54ab F.jpg, Late 17th century, wool and metallic thread. File:Russia 1717 - Will this do for Halloween? (4075033841).jpg, Russian dress, 1717 File:Jacket in chintz, skirt in wool damask, 1750-1800. MoMu - Fashion Museum Province of Antwerp, www.momu.be. Photo by Hugo Maertens, Bruges..jpg, Dress , wool and chintz. File:Jacket and shawl in chintz, skirt in glazed printed cotton, 1770-1800. MoMu - Fashion Museum Province of Antwerp, www.momu.be. Photo by Hugo Maertens, Bruges..jpg, Dress , chintz and printed cotton File:Dress, women's (AM 1995.8.14-2).jpg, Classic empire line gown, muslin with tambour, File:Ensemble MET DT6845.jpg, Dress and outfit, File:Lila klänning - Livrustkammaren - 73803.tif, Late 19th century File:1903 purple velvet afternoon dress by the House of Worth.jpg, Silk velvet, chenille and chiffon created by , 1903 File:1925 unlicensed copy of Madeleine Vionnet’s “Little Horses” dress.jpg, Rayon with seed beads, File:Dance dress MET CI47.57.1 F.jpg, Dance dress, 1939 File:Dress (AM 1995.102.2-1).jpg, Day dress, File:1997 shenkar015-2 (cropped).jpg, Lola Beer Ebner in "afternoon dress", 1950 File:1959 blue satin strapless cocktail dress by Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior.jpg, Blue satin cocktail dress, 1959 File:C.1960 red and white printed dress. Balenciaga Museoaren inaugurazioa 22.jpg, Printed dress, File:Till boken - utställningen Kunglig Vintage - Livrustkammaren - 87519.tif, Jersey dress,

Lengths

File:Maria Grazia Cucinotta - nicogenin - 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) 2.jpg, ''Gown or Long Dress'' – a woman's formal dress, usually having a floor-length skirt. File:Electric blue maxi dress with cognac accessories.jpg, ''Maxi dresses'' () – ''maxi'' is a term used since the late 1960s for ankle-length, typically informal dresses. File:Fabiana Semprebom2.jpg, ''Midi dress'' – a "midi" is used to refer to any dress or skirt that has a hem which hits at mid-calf – halfway between the knee and ankle. File:5-promotional-models-fenasucro.JPG, ''Knee length'' dress – Hemline ends at knee height. File:Alexis Texas at Sexpo in Sydney, Australia 04.jpg, ''

Mini dress 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 ...

'' (1960s) – a very short dress that terminates above the knee. File:Glamour Models on Red Carpet.jpg, ''Micro dress'' (right) with minidresses, 2008. – A microdress is an extremely short version of a mini.

References

Citations

Sources

* *Brockmamn, Helen L.: ''The Theory of Fashion Design'', Wiley, 1965. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Stoykov, Lubomir (2016). Theoretical problems of fashion, Sofia: National Academy of Art. *Tozer, Jane, and Sarah Levitt: ''Fabric of Society: A Century of People and Their Clothes 1770–1870'', Laura Ashley Ltd., 1983;

External links

* {{Authority control History of clothing Women's clothing