Evening gown
An evening gown or gown is a long flowing women's dress usually worn to a formal affair. It ranges from tea and ballerina to full-length. Evening gowns are usually made of luxurious fabrics such as chiffon, velvet, satin, organza, etc. Silk is a popular fibre for many evening gowns. 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; in contrast, an evening gown can be any silhouette—sheath, mermaid, A-line or trumpet shaped—and may have an empire or dropped waist.
It corresponds to both men's semi-formal wear for black tie events and men's formal wear for white tie events.
Hostory
Evening wear, sometimes also known as court dress due to its creation at royal courts, for women has its origins in the 15th century with the rise of the Burgundian court and its fashionable and fashion-conscious ruler Philip the Good. 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. Rich fabrics and fibres were usually the domain of the nobility, and clothing was still used as an identifier of social rank and status. The dawn of the Renaissance slowly changed the rigid social rank system, and allowed wealthy Patricians and merchants to visibly display their success. The art of weaving silk was firmly established in the Mediterranean around 1400, and as a result, silk weaves became fashionable for those who could afford them. 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.
Today, the evening gown comes in different silhouettes and even lengths, but the full-skirted ball gown remains the pinnacle of formality. Evening gowns are worn at various semi-formal black-tie (and sometimes white tie) functions, including formal dinners, opera and theatre premieres, formal dances, evening wedding receptions, and charity balls.
Styles
- Sheath :- The sheath style evening gown, like the usual sheath dress, is designed to fit the body tightly. It is generally unbelted, and has a straight drape. It can have shoulder straps or be strapless.
- Mermaid :- Mermaid, as the name suggests, means that the evening gown is shaped like a mermaid. It is form-fitting at the bodice, and the skirt is designed to resemble a mermaid's tail in silhouette. The skirt may or may not be of the same colour or texture.
- A-line :- The A-line style evening gown is somewhat bell-shaped, it is close-fitting at the top and widens gradually at the bottom, without gathers or pleats. This makes for a simple but elegant appearance.
- Trumpet :- If the evening gown is trumpet shaped, it is tight-fitting until it reaches the knees, where it flares.
- Empire :- This involves the waistline coming up to just below the bust, from which the skirt hangs straight and loose, in a simple breezy style.
- Dropped waist :- The waistline is dropped below the actual waistline. The skirt can be fitted or flared.
- Princess :- The princess style evening gown is also tight, cut in single pieces, such as gores, and hanging in an unbroken line from shoulder to flared hem.
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