evening gown

 

  • Later, in the 1920s, the hemlines of evening gowns rose and cuts were very simple to match the new life style of the Flapper era.

  • Wool, in various weaves, was the most dominant fabric for dresses, and the ladies of the court often simply added a train to their kirtle for formal occasions.

  • Contemporary fashion[edit] Today, the evening gown comes in different silhouettes and even lengths, but the full-skirted ball gown remains the pinnacle of formality.

  • [2] Lavender evening gown by Irish designer Sybil Connolly from c. 1970 During the Edwardian era, or Belle Epoque, the s-shaped figure was fashionable, which included a very
    narrow waist [3] Immediately preceding and during World War I, lines became looser and more fluid as a precursor to the boyish silhouettes of the 1920s.

  • Dresses for court balls and similar festivities were often made of intricately woven silk and trimmed with expensive furs to highlight the wearer’s social status.

  • 1804-05 During this entire period, a ball or evening dress was synonymous with court dress, as balls took place at court or in the palaces and salons of the nobility who copied
    the latest fashions at the courts.

  • A common silhouette for evening wear, just as for day wear, was the high-waisted Empire or Regency dress.

  • In the 18th century, formal dress started as the mantua, but later developed into the elaborate sack-back gown.

  • Evening gowns are worn at various semi-formal black-tie (and sometimes white tie) functions, including formal dinners, opera and theater premieres, formal dances, evening
    wedding receptions, and charity balls.

  • The 19th century distinguished between relatively high-necked dinner gowns for formal dinners and soirees, evening gowns for dances and theatre events, and ball gowns for
    the most formal affairs including balls and the opera.

  • Although the terms are used interchangeably, ball gowns and evening gowns differ in that a ball gown will always have a full skirt and a fitted bodice, while an evening gown
    can be any silhouette—sheath, mermaid, A-line, or trumpet shaped—and may have straps, halters or even sleeves.

  • The farthingale, popular during the 16th/17th centuries, evolved into the pannier to give dresses and skirts extra volume and the desired court silhouette.

 

Works Cited

[‘1. “Definition of evening gown”. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
2. ^ Stamper, Anita; Condra, Jill (2010). Clothing through American History the Civil War through the Gilded Age, 1861-1899. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp.
297–298. ISBN 9780313084584.
3. ^ Iwagami, Miki (2014). Fashion: The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, A History from the 18th to the 20th Century. Taschen. p. 127. ISBN 9783822812068. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22964099@N05/2265390547/’]