Types of Women Dresses
A dress is a garment that is made up of a skirt plus a bodice attachment. This attachment gives it the appearance of a single garment from top to bottom. Dresses have over the years been considered to be female apparel wear. Earlier dress designs were lengthy and had to cover the whole lower part of the body with some going to the heels. The many decades of revolution in the fashion industry have seen the dress undergo numerous transformations and expansion in terms of design styles to bring in thousands of different dress designs, each with its own piece of uniqueness. Depending on the design of the dress, the hemline of a dress can be as high as the upper thigh or as low as the heels. The overall design is determined by the will of the designer and inspirations, as well as the personality and taste of the person wearing the dress. The upper section of the dress has always been slender right above the waist on the tummy section. This is the same around the bust section of a woman’s body when she wears a dress. This design has been preferred over the centuries, accompanied by a variety of designs for the bottom. Sleeves were also used in earlier designs, a trend which was quickly made optional, by the introduction of the short sleeved as well as the sleeveless dresses. All these are aimed at creating a variety for women to choose from when looking for dresses.
Currently in the fashion industry, dresses come in different styles and designs, each for a specific purpose and occasion. The existence of a variety of design and fashion houses plus the need to stay ahead of the game has led to the design of some very creative dress wear which bring in more than just clothing, but beauty and comfort from the wearer. International fashion houses including Herve Leger, Temperley London and Juicy Couture have managed to make some of the biggest impressions in the international fashion industry with some very popular designs in the current market. It goes without saying, that such names, and other young designers, including Derek Lam, Alice Temperley and Alexander Wang being credited for some very notable designs in the market today. The simple thing with current dress designs is the level of creativity that is put into play when trying to come up with a design. Considering the overall look of a dress, there are so many components to play around with. These include the bodice, the skirt, the buttons or zipper depending on the preference, the sleeves, the hem, the trim, the facings, pleats, gather and tucks. This gives designers enough room to maneuver to a unique design with ease. However, it takes more than removing one thing and shortening another. It is creativity that has separated the names above from the rest in the industry, and this has also brought up some popular women dress designs.
Dresses can be used for both formal and informal occasions, depending on the wearer’s will, the overall design and the dress type. The A-line is a common skirt type whose design fits around the hips and widens gradually as you move towards the hem. When worn by a slender figure, the skirt gives the impression of the Letter-A. However, the term is not used just for the dress. It is also used for coats and other dresses that have a similar shape. The A-line is basically used as a casual wear for women and may come in a number of colors for the finish. The jumper dress, also known as pinafore or the pinafore dress is a sleeveless and collarless dress design that is meant to go over a blouse, sweater or shirt. Basically, it is worn the same way as an apron. This might sound much similar to a sundress, only that the sundress is not worn over a sweater or a blouse, plus they are of completely different fashion tastes. The tailcoat has a unique design, where the front of the dress is cut away, leaving behind only the rare section (tail). This design has been there and was one of the earliest dress types. This was meant to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse. However, the style has evolved and is currently used for more formal designs for different functions. There are several types of tailcoats, and the dress coat, occasionally worn during the evening with white tie, is the most common and currently one of the oldest of the tailcoats and has a squarely cut away front.
Other types of dresses include the Maternity clothing, or the maternity dress, that as the name suggests, is worn by expectant women a few months to birth. This serves as a form of adaptation to physical changes during the last few months of pregnancy. A maxi dress is a formal or an informal dress characterized by its unique length. The maxi dress is meant to serve all ages and preferences of women, as it has a variety of designs that can be worn specifically by old women, younger women other for teens. This means that there are hundreds of different designs, each of which can come in stripes, polka dots, tartan as well as solid colors. The maxi dress is available in a wide price range, and many celebrities have work maxi dresses on the red carpet. However, what makes it popular is the quality brought forward and simplicity in the design style. The Sheath dress is specially designed to embrace the body’s figure for a tight fitting appearance. The design is made using very thin and light material including cotton and silk. The Sheath dress falls around the knee section or the lower thighs, and is quite different from the cocktail dress which is slightly shorter and the ballroom dress, which is much longer, flowing down to the toes. The sheath dress can either be strapped or strapless, but the fitting design still remains. Some famous fashion houses known for some of the best sheath dresses include Diane von Furstenberg and Donna Karan as showcased on the Donna Karan New York runway show.
The cocktail gown or cocktail dress is meant for cocktail parties and other black tie events. The length of the dress is not specific, and may vary depending on the designer’s whim and the customs of the locality. Generally, the length would measure anything from slightly above the knees, and may fall all the way to the knees. The shorter design is more appropriate for semi-formal occasions. Before the 20th century, the cocktail dress was known as the afternoon, or the good afternoon dress. In many cases, cocktail dresses have been considered suitable for much formal occasions, except for white tie affairs and balls.
An evening dress or evening gown is a long is a long flowing dress for women and is designed strictly for formal occasions. The design in normally made of a luxury fabric including satin, velvet, chiffon or silk. The evening gown is normally classified in the same caliber as the ball gowns. However, the difference between these two is that a ball gown will in most cases have a complete flared skirt that comes with a strapless bodice. On the other hand, an evening gown can be any of the many silhouette designs, including sheath, mermaid, trumpet shaped or A-line and the design may be accompanied by straps, sleeves and even halters. The evening gown is one of the most common female apparel wear on any red carpet and in any formal and semi-formal congregation. A sundress is a gown that is designed for warm weather conditions. It has much in common with the sheath, including the fact that that it is designed using light weight material, including silk and cotton and is meant for informal and social occasions. However, unlike the sheath, the sundress is quite loose fitting. It should be worn without a layering top. The wearer should remember to be strict on modesty as well as sun exposure all at the same time so as to maintain meaning. A chemise is a type of protective clothing that is designed to protect the outfit from sweat. The term chemise is sometimes replaced with shift. This is a form of modern undergarment made using very light material and may sometimes be used as a dress used strictly in private. Just like the sheath dress, the chemise is designed to have a tight fit to the body to avoid any inconveniences when worn underneath an outfit. The culture of the chemise is however more common in the western world as compared to the rest of the world.
There are many other types of dresses for both formal as well as informal occasions, including the wrap dress, the Tunic dress, the Tent dress and many more. All these designs are unique in their own ways, and this provides ladies with a wider range of dresses to choose from, so as to maintain a sense of fashion and comfort.