Dress#Party dress

{{Short description|Garment consisting of a bodice and skirt made in one or more pieces}}

{{About||the general concept of dress|Clothing|other uses}}

{{Redirect|Dresses|the song by Betty Blowtorch|Betty Blowtorch#Discography}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

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| image1 = Dress MET 19.181.1 F2.jpeg

| image2 = Afternoon ensemble MET 63.212a-b CP4.jpg

| image3 = Afternoon dress MET 1990.28a-b threequarter front CP4.jpg

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| alt1 = Empire dress

| alt2 = Bustle dress

| alt3 = Early 1900s afternoon dress

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A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a one-piece outer garment that is worn on the torso, hangs down over the legs, and is primarily worn by women or girls.{{Cite book |last1=Cumming |first1=Valerie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glBf_El4Qd4C |title=The Dictionary of Fashion History |last2=Cunnington |first2=C.W. |last3=Cunnington |first3=P.E. |publisher=Berg Publishers |year=2010 |isbn=9781847885333 |pages=70}}{{Cite web |title=Dress |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/dress |access-date=October 13, 2024 |website=Cambridge Dictionary}} Dresses often consist of a bodice attached to a skirt.

Dress shapes, silhouettes, textiles, and colors vary. In particular, dresses can vary by sleeve length, neckline, skirt length, or hemline. These variances may be based on considerations such as fashion trends, modesty, weather, and personal taste.{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Michael |title=Art of dress designing |publisher=Global Media |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-904575-7-6 |edition=1st |location=Delhi}} Dresses are generally suitable for both formal wear and casual wear in the West.{{Sfn|Picken|1957|p=101}}

Historically, foundation garments and other structural garments—including items such as corsets, partlets, petticoats, panniers, and bustles—were used to achieve the desired silhouette.{{Sfn|Cunningham|2003|p=20}}{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=20,30}}

History

= Middle Ages =

File:Van Eyck - Arnolfini PortraitFXD.jpgIn the 11th century, women in Europe wore loose garments that were similar in shape to the tunics worn by men.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=113}} Sleeves varied in fit and length, and hemlines fell below the knees, most often reaching the ankle or ground.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=113}} These dresses were worn over ankle-length chemise garments.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=113}} As the century progressed, these dresses featured a tighter fit on the arms and upper body.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=113}} The tighter fit was achieved by making slits to the waist and in the sleeves that were laced closed to fit the figure.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=114}} Laces were gradually replaced by buttons.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=114}} By the end of the 11th century, sleeves widened with cuffs sometimes reaching several feet in circumference.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=114}} This style remained popular into the 13th century, although the sleeves once again became more fitted.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=114}}

In the 13th and 14th centuries, a similar dress known as a cote-hardie came into fashion.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=115}}{{cite book |last1=Brooks Picken |first1=Mary |title=A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion |date=July 24, 2013 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=9780486141602 |page=84 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbOI4TCcnbQC}} This garment was closed down the front of the bodice with buttons that extended to the hip; this resulted in a dress that was more fitted through the hip rather than just to the waist.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=115}} These dresses also often featured decorative elements such as long strips of cloth around the elbow known as tippets.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=115}}

In the 15th century, houppelandes and gowns became popular. Houppelandes were full-cut, floor-length dresses with high collars and full sleeves.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=116}} Gowns were also long dresses, but they had open necklines, a closer-fitted bodice, and sleeves that became more fitted as the century progressed.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=117}} Both houppelandes and gowns were often belted just below the bust.{{Sfn|Newman|2001|p=117}}

= 16th century =

File:Attributed to William Scrots (active 1537-53) - Elizabeth I when a Princess - RCIN 404444 - Royal Collection.jpg

European dresses in at the start of the 16th century resembled those of the previous century: full-cut, belted gowns with large sleeve openings worn over a kirtle or petticoat and chemise.{{Cite web |title=1500-1509 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1500-1509/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu |language=en-US}} Decorative treatments such as pinking, slashing, and blackwork embroidery became increasingly common.{{Cite web |title=1510-1519 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1510-1519/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu |language=en-US}}{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=23}} Necklines were initially low and broad, but wearers began to fill in the open space with high collared chemises or partlets.{{Cite web |title=1520-1529 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1520-1529/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}} Although the overall style of dress was fairly consistent across the continent, there were regional differences often involving sleeve shape and decorative elements.{{Cite web |title=1530-1539 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1530-1539/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}} European courts, such as Tudor court and the wives of Henry VIII, were influential in European fashion. From the 1540s, the bodices of dresses were stiffened, flattening the wearer's chest, and skirts were shaped with a Spanish farthingale.{{Cite web |title=1540-1549 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1540-1549/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}} The resulting silhouette resembled two triangles.

File:Anne of Denmark Gheeraerts.jpg

From the 1550s, middle- and upper-class European women could choose between the still popular rigid farthingale style or a looser-style gown known as a ropa.{{Cite web |title=1550-1559 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1550-1559/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}}{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=20}} The ropa style of dress was known by different names throughout Europe, including sumarra (Italy), marlotte (France), and vlieger (Holland). Fashionable sleeves were often more fitted with puffs at the shoulder.{{Cite web |title=1560-1569 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1560-1569/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}} From the 1570s, dress became even more highly decorated, exaggerated, and rigid.{{Cite web |title=1570-1579 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1570-1579/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}}{{Cite web |title=1580-1589 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1580-1589/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu}} The previously popular conical skirt shape achieved with a Spanish farthingale was replaced by the wider, more conical wheel farthingale. Under Queen Elizabeth, sumptuary laws dictated people of different social rank were allowed to wear.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=21}}

Women's dresses in Russia during the 16th and 17th centuries identified the wearer's place in society or their family.{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=120}}

= 17th century =

Holland, as a center of textile production, was a particularly noted area of innovation in dress fashion during the 17th Century.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} In Spain and Portugal, women wore stomachers{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} while in England and France, dresses became more "naturally" shaped.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} Lace and slashing were popular decorations.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} Skirts were full, with regular folds and the overskirt allowed the display of an underskirt of contrasting fabric.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} Necklines became lower as well.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=30}} Embroidery that reflected scientific discoveries, such as newly discovered animals and plants were popular.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=34}} In the British Colonies, multi-piece dresses were also popular, though less luxurious.{{Sfn|Staples|Shaw|2013|p=222}} Wealthy women living in the Spanish or Dutch colonies in the Americas copied the fashions that were popular from their homelands.{{Sfn|Havelin|2012|p=27}}

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, or a one-piece gown, became more popular.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=35}} Corsets became more important in dresses by the 1680s.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=126}}

Working women, and women in slavery in the Americas, used simple patterns to create shifts, wool or linen petticoats and gowns and cotton dresses.{{Sfn|Havelin|2012|p=26}} The bottoms of the skirts could be tucked into the waistband when a woman was near a cooking or heating fire.{{Sfn|Havelin|2012|p=26}}

= 18th century =

File:Lacroix .jpg

Large, triangular silhouettes were favored during the 18th century, skirts were wide and supported by hoop underskirts.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=135}}{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=137}} One-piece gowns remained popular until the middle of the century.{{Sfn|Edwards|2017|p=49}} During the 1760s in France, hoop petticoats were reduced in size.{{Sfn|Pietsch|2013|p=400}} Lighter colors and lighter fabrics were also favored.{{Cite book|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=funk&AN=CO225700&site=ehost-live|title=Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia|year=2017|chapter=Costume|url-access=subscription|via=EBSCOhost}} In Colonial America, women most often wore a gown and petticoat, in which the skirt of the gown opened to reveal the petticoat underneath.{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/wglossary.cfm|title=A Colonial Lady's Clothing: A Glossary of Terms|website=Colonial Williamsburg|access-date=2018-01-24}} Women also had riding habits 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.{{Sfn|Pietsch|2013|p=397-398}} 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.{{Sfn|Delpierre|1997|p=15-16}} In France, the Empire style became popular after the French Revolution.{{Cite news|url=https://www.makers.com/blog/brief-history-womens-fashion-photo-gallery|title=A Brief History of Women's Fashion|date=7 September 2016|work=Makers|access-date=2018-01-24|language=en|archive-date=25 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125134608/https://www.makers.com/blog/brief-history-womens-fashion-photo-gallery|url-status=dead}} This simpler style was also favored by Josephine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon. 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.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=157}}

=19th century=

File:Dress MET 69.2.1 front CP4.jpg dress, 1800–1805, cotton and linen, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)]]

Women's dresses in the 19th century began to be classified by the time of day or purpose of the dress.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=183}} High-waisted dresses were popular until around 1830.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=183}}

Early nineteenth century dresses in Russia were influenced by Classicism and were made of thin fabrics, with some semi-transparent.{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=242}} 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{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=242}} and many Russian women copied her style.{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=242}} By the 1840s, Russian women were turning to what was in fashion in Europe.{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=244}}

Europeans styles in dresses increased dramatically to the hoopskirt and crinoline-supported styles of the 1860s,{{Sfn|Krohn|2012|p=36}} then fullness was draped and drawn to the back.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=188}} 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. In Russia, metal hoopskirts were known as "malakhovs."{{Sfn|Pushkareva|1997|p=244}} Skirts of the 1860s were heavily decorated.{{Sfn|Bigelow|1970|p=188}}

To sleep, women in the American West wore floor-length dresses of white cotton with high collars displaying decoration.{{Sfn|Krohn|2012|p=37}} Various Native American people, such as the Navajo and the Mescalero Apache began to adapt the designs of their dresses to look more like the European Americans they came in contact with.{{Sfn|Parezo|Jones|2009|p=384}} Navajo women further adapted the European designs, incorporating their own sense of beauty, "creating hózhó."{{Sfn|Parezo|Jones|2009|p=384-385}}

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.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=27}} These patterns were graded by size, which was a new innovation.{{Cite web|url=https://butterick.mccall.com/our-company/butterick-history|title=Butterick History|website=Butterick Patterns|language=en|access-date=2018-01-24|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326170413/https://butterick.mccall.com/our-company/butterick-history|url-status=dead}}

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 in the 1850s found themselves the center of attention, both positive and negative.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oIro7MtiFuYC&q=women's%20dress%20history&pg=PA72|title=Encyclopedia of Women's History in America|last=Cullen-DuPont|first=Kathryn|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9781438110332|pages=71–72|language=en}} By 1881, the Rational Dress Society had formed in reaction to the restrictive dress of the era.

=20th century=

File:Afternoon dress MET 49.46.17a-b front CP4.jpg (New York City)]]

In the early twentieth century, the look popularized by the Gibson Girl was fashionable.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=9}} The upper part of women's dresses in the Edwardian era included a "pigeon breast" look that gave way to a corseted waist and an s-shaped silhouette.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=9}} Women called their dresses "waists" if one-piece, or "shirtwaists," if it consisted of a skirt and a blouse.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=11}} The bodice of the dresses had a boned lining.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=11}} Informally, wealthy women wore tea gowns at home.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=13}} These garments were looser, though not as loose as a "wrapper," and made of expensive fabric and laces.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=13}}

By 1910, the Edwardian look was replaced with a straighter silhouette.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=49}} French designer, Paul Poiret, had a large impact on the look of the time.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=49}} Designs developed by Poiret were available in both boutiques and also in department stores.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=50}} Popular dresses of the time were one-piece and included lingerie dresses which could be layered.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=53}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://onlinemba.unc.edu/blog/Feminist-History-in-Womens-Work-Suits/|title=100 Years of Feminist History Explained in 10 Women's Work Suits |last=Greenberg |first=Molly |date=2017-03-01 |publisher=UNC |access-date=2018-01-24 |language=en |archive-date=16 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016191635/https://onlinemba.unc.edu/blog/Feminist-History-in-Womens-Work-Suits/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.mariefranceasia.com/my/fashion-my/trends-and-tips-my/trend-guide-my/history-of-pantsuit-218771.html#item=1 |title=The fascinating history and evolution of the female pantsuit|last=Khan|first=Sarah|date=2016-11-16|work=Marie France Asia|access-date=2018-01-24|language=en-US}} Another innovation of the 1910s was the ready availability of factory-made clothing.{{Sfn|Richards|2010|p=100}}

Waistlines started out high and by 1915 were below the natural waist.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=53}} By 1920, waistlines were at hip-level.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=53}} Between 1910 and 1920 necklines were lower and dresses could be short-sleeved or sleeveless.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=57}} Women who worked during World War I 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.{{Sfn|Richards|2010|p=100-101}}

By 1920, the "new woman" was a trend that saw lighter fabrics and dresses that were easier to put on.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=73}} Younger women were also setting the trends that older women started to follow.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=73}} The dresses of the 1920s could be pulled over the head and were short and straight.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=77}} It was acceptable to wear sleeveless dresses during the day.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=77}} Flapper dresses were popular until end of the decade.{{Sfn|Darnell|2000|p=105}}

During World War II, 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.{{Sfn|Parezo|Jones|2009|p=383}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://womenshistorynetwork.org/blog/?p=2804|title=The History of Hemlines|date=2013-09-01|work=Women's History Network|access-date=2018-01-24|language=en-GB}}

Use

{{Western dress codes}}

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.{{cite book|last=Pundir|first=Nirupama|title=Fashion technology: today and tomorrow|year=2007|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-8324-203-5}} For such occasions they, together with blouse and skirt, remain the de facto standard attire for many girls and women.

=Formal dress=

In western countries, a "formal" or white tie 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 gowns with evening gloves. Some white tie functions also request that the women wear long gloves past the elbow.

=Basic dress=

A basic dress is a usually dark-colored dress of simple design which can be worn with various accessories to suit different occasions.{{cite web | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/basic+dress | title=Definition of "basic dress" | access-date=28 July 2013}} Different kinds of jewelry, belts, scarves, and jackets can be worn with the basic dress to dress up or down.{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/dresslikemillion00jans | title=Dress Like a Million Bucks Without Spending It! | publisher=Fleming H. Revell Company | author1=Janssen, Jo Ann | author2=Ellis, Gwen | year=2003 | isbn=978-0800758325 | url-access=registration }} A little black dress is an example of a basic dress.

=Bodycon dress=

File:Sweden Vaxholm 1938.jpg

File:IMPORTEXPO IMG 5490 (5971779607).jpg in a bodycon dress]]

A bodycon dress is a tight figure-hugging dress, often made from stretchy material.Martin, Tracy (2014). The Little Black Dress: How to dress perfectly for any occasion. Ryland Peters & Small. {{ISBN|9781782490210}}. The name derives from "body confidence"Narumi, Hiroshi. "Street Style and Its Meaning in Postwar Japan" Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, Volume 14, Number 4, December 2010, pp. 415–438 (24). {{doi|10.2752/175174110X12792058833816}}. or, originally, "body conscious", transformed into Japanese in the 1980s as "bodikon".

=Party dress=

File:Rabanne.jpg in 1967, as displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was worn by Helen Bachofen von Echt at a New York party where she danced with Frank Sinatra.{{citation |chapter-url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/25399-popup.html |publisher=V&A |chapter=Dress Paco Rabanne 1967 |title=Out of London, Paris, New York 1965–1968}}]]

A party dress is a dress worn especially for a party. Different types of party such as children's party, cocktail party, garden party and costume party would tend to require different styles of dress.{{citation |title=The Party Dress |author=Alexandra Black |year=2007 |publisher=Scriptum Editions |isbn=978-1-902686-59-2}}{{citation |title=Children in Their Party Dress |author=Nora Villa |year=1996 |publisher=Quite Specific Media Group, Limited |isbn=978-0-89676-202-2}} One classic style of party dress for women in modern society is the little black dress.{{citation |title=The little black dress |author=Amy Holman Edelman |year=1998 |publisher=Aurum |isbn=978-1-85410-604-9}}

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, {{circa|1656–1693}}

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 {{circa|1750–1800}}, 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 {{circa|1770–1800}}, chintz and printed cotton

File:Dress, women's (AM 1995.8.14-2).jpg|Classic empire line gown, muslin with tambour, {{circa|1805}}

File:Ensemble MET DT6845.jpg|Dress and outfit, {{circa|1855}}

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 {{ill|Jean-Philippe Worth|nl}}, 1903

File:1925 unlicensed copy of Madeleine Vionnet’s “Little Horses” dress.jpg|Rayon with seed beads, {{circa|1925}}

File:Dance dress MET CI47.57.1 F.jpg|Dance dress, 1939

File:Dress (AM 1995.102.2-1).jpg|Day dress, {{circa|1940s}}

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, {{circa|1960}}

File:Till boken - utställningen Kunglig Vintage - Livrustkammaren - 87519.tif|Jersey dress, {{circa|1970}}

=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{{cite book|title=The Vogue Sewing Book|url=https://archive.org/details/voguesewingbook00vogu|url-access=registration|date=1975|publisher=Vogue Patterns|page=[https://archive.org/details/voguesewingbook00vogu/page/337 337]}}

File:Electric blue maxi dress with cognac accessories.jpg|Maxi dresses ({{circa|1970}}) – Maxi is a term used since the late 1960s{{cite book |last1=Cumming |first1=Valerie |last2=Cunnington |first2=C.W. |last3=Cunnington |first3=P.E. |title=The dictionary of fashion history|date=2010|publisher=Berg|location=Oxford|isbn=9780857851437|page=130|edition=Rev., updated and supplemented [ed.].|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e3evAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA130}} 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 (1960s) – a very short dress that terminates above the knee{{cite book|last1=Delamore|first1=Philip|title=The Wedding Dress: A Visual Sourcebook of Over 200 of the Most Beautiful Gowns Ever Made|publisher=Pavilion Books|isbn=9781862057647|page=122|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bw9eYLRzHj8C&pg=PA122|language=en|chapter=Mini and Midi|date=29 March 2007}}

File:Glamour Models on Red Carpet.jpg|Micro dress (right) with minidresses, 2008 – A microdress is an extremely short version of a mini.{{cite book|last1=Cumming|first1=Valerie|last2=Cunnington|first2=C. W.|last3=Cunnington|first3=P. E.|title=The Dictionary of Fashion History|date=September 2010|publisher=Berg|isbn=9781847887382|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glBf_El4Qd4C&q=micro|language=en}}

File:Bruidsmode_Outlet_Belgie.jpg|Bridalwear contrasting with ordinary streetwear in 2020

See also

References

= Citations =

{{Reflist}}

= General and cited references =

  • {{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/fashioninhistory00bige |url-access=registration |quote= |title=Fashion in History: Apparel in the Western World |last=Bigelow |first=Marybelle S. |publisher=Burgess Publishing Company |year=1970 |isbn=9780808702610 |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota}}
  • Brockmamn, Helen L.: The Theory of Fashion Design, Wiley, 1965.
  • {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ql8FAAAACAAJ|title=From Victorian to Vamp:Women's Clothing 1900–1929|last=Darnell|first=Paula Jean|publisher=Fabric Fancies|year=2000|isbn=9781887402156|location=Reno, NV}}
  • {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jqTToUwfElQC&q=dresses&pg=PA89|title=Reforming Women's Fashion, 1850–1920: Politics, Health and Art|last=Cunningham|first=Patricia A.|publisher=The Kent State University Press|year=2003|isbn=0873387422|location=Kent, Ohio}}
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