dresses

Dresses are one-piece items of clothing that cover both the upper body and the legs. In most cultures, dresses are designed to be worn exclusively by women. Dresses come in all shapes and sizes, they can be tight or loose, long or short, simple or embroidered and adorned with accessories.

As women's fashion evolved throughout the centuries, so did the shape of the dress. In the 16th century, women wore broad hoop skirts to support and keep their dresses into the desired shape. Hoop skirts are still used today under wedding gowns, to give the dresses a more ceremonious appearance.

By the 19th century, however, crinoline supported dresses had become the dominant trend, especially among aristocrats. In spite of their fashionable appearance, crinoline dresses were difficult to wear and were often the subject of ridicule in the media of time. Criticism mainly focused on the crinoline’s exaggerated size (at it's maximum size, the crinoline measured six feet in diameter), which made it difficult for women to pass through doors, enter a carriage or even move about freely.

During the latter half of the 19th century, however, crinoline-supported dresses were gradually replaced by simpler, more functional garments, that allowed more mobility. Initially, the designer dresses of the era tried to adapt the crinoline to a more comfortable shape, so they modified the dome-shape of the traditional crinoline by drawing much of its volume to the back. This design was eventually scrapped in favor of tea gowns and evening gowns, which were allowed to fall naturally over the hips.

By the beginning of the 20th century, women's fashion had simplified considerably, and tighter, form-fitting dresses started to gain more popularity. In the 1920s and '30s, women began wearing loose, knee-length and three quarter skirts and dresses, that were usually tight or fastened around the waist with a belt. Skirts and dresses got shorter and tighter over the following decades, until the first miniskirts and minidresses were designed in the late 1960s. Over the next two decades, miniskirts were usually worn by cheerleaders and college students. The 21st century saw the birth of the microskirt, which is, however, considered too short to be worn as streetwear.

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Original Technorati articles tagged “dresses”

• in Green
  Green Your Wedding ~ Eco Friendly Tips for a Fabulous Day
  Green Your Wedding ~ Eco Friendly Tips for a Fabulous Day
  by PureNaturalDiva / on Oct 22, 2009

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