Evening Wear

Evening Wear Definition

Source(Google.com.pk) Simply put, evening dress is the prevailing style prescribed by fashion to be worn in the evening. Though straightforward in its basic definition, there are surprisingly complex expectations related to appropriateness of fashionable dress for evening. Regardless of the era, evening dress is intricately connected to fashions of the day, with specific characteristics that distinguishes it from everyday dress. An evening gown is a special form of dress that amplifies a woman’s femininity and often proclaims her desirability. In general, necklines are low, bodices are tightly fitted, arms are bared, and skirts are extravagantly designed. Fabric surfaces vary from reflective to matte, textured to smooth, and soft to rigid. Gowns may be bouffant or hug the body, emphasizing every curve and swell. Regardless of these distinctions, there tends to be an overall emphasis on the woman’s body and in many instances on the gown itself. Through the decades, undergarments have played a critical role in reshaping the body into the desired silhouette, from corsets and petticoats of the nineteenth century to control-top panty hose and padded Wonderbras of the twenty-first century.
Historical Overview
Although formal court dress has existed for centuries, there is consensus among dress historians that evening dress materialized as a discrete category in the mid-1820s. It is probably not coincidental that this form of dress emerged at roughly the same time the Romantic Movement in art and literature surfaced as an influence in European and American cultures. Romantics accentuated passion and sentiment, placing a greater emphasis on love rather than on duty. Other cultural factors such as increased fabric production, a thriving textile industry, and an expanding ready-made clothing industry resulted in greater access to resources. By the 1820s, fashion had been fairly democratized. Additionally, Parisian and American fashion magazines experienced a burgeoning popularity among women in the United States and Europe. Dresses of the 1820s were frequently identified in Godey’s Lady’s Book and Peterson’s Magazine according to explicit activities or time of day. Women viewed fashion plates with captions like morning dress, day dress, walking dress, promenade dress, carriage dress, seaside dress, dinner dress, evening dress, or ball dress. From these labels, it seems the evening dress was born.
1820 to 1899
During the last eighty years of the nineteenth century, women’s fashions evolved from an X-shaped silhouette (1820s) to the introduction of the cage crinoline (1850) through the bustle period (1870 – 1890) and ended with an hourglass silhouette (1890s), and in each era evening dress took its profile from current styles of the day. However, evening dress was discernible by its use of opulent and supple gauze and satin fabrics, the cut of the neckline— typically low or off-the-shoulder—short sleeves, and by the lavishness of surface embellishment. Skirts were especially complex in ornamentation—with layers of swags and puffs and such trim details as artificial flowers, ribbons, rosettes, and lace. During the bustle period and the 1890s, trains were frequently attached to full-length skirts.
1900 to 1945
The early years of the twentieth century included a progression in women’s fashions from an S-shaped silhouette to a revival of Empire styles to the flapper style of the 1920s to the bias-cut fashions of the 1930s. With the exception of the latter part of this time-period, evening dress followed the conventions of daytime dress. Necklines tended to be deep and wide, sleeves were short or were mere straps on the shoulder, skirt lengths varied according to fashions and frequently involved complex floating panels, draping, or layers. Fabrics were extravagantly pliant chiffons and satins and luxuriant velvets and taffetas. Pleating, embroidery, lace, beading, fringe, braid, and ruffles decorated the surfaces.
During the 1930s, evening dress made an uncharacteristic split from daytime styles, remaining floor-length while daywear fluctuated in length from mid-calf to ankle. Evening gowns were designed in bias-cut styles and were usually constructed with an open back, with fabric skimming the body to the hips and flaring out and to the floor.
1913 advertisement for evening dress created by Georges Barbier. This dress, with its low neckline, tight bodice, draped skirt, and eye-catching fabrics, is a typical example of the style of early twentieth century evening wear.
1945 to 2003
The late 1940s through the early 1960s saw the last of a singular identifiable fashion for evening. Dior’s New Look—with a rounded shoulder line, a nipped waist, and either an exceptionally full skirt or a pencil-slim skirt— defined the style of the day. Evening dress generally paired strapless bodices with full rather than narrow skirts and it was not unusual for skirts to be floor-length.
By the 1960s, a plethora of options in evening wear emerged. Mini-skirted straight dresses were made from metallic fabrics or brilliantly patterned fabrics, and surfaces may have been trimmed with sequins, beads, or plastic bits. By the late 1960s, evening dresses had returned to floor length. Pantsuits with full-legged trousers and palazzo pants paired with a coordinating top also became viable options. In the mid-1970s, fashionable evening dress was typically long and made from fabrics that were soft, clinging, and often knitted. In the 1980s, the glamour of evening dress contrasted with professional dress for career women and integrated bright and vibrant colors with plenty of glitter, embroidery, sequins, and beading. Lacroix introduced a gown with a short wide puffy skirt, nicknamed Le Pouf, which was eagerly copied and made available to the masses. Wide-skirted, short styles called mini-crinolines were also popular. By the late 1980s, evening dresses made from elasticized fabrics hugged the body were short, and were strapless or had tiny shoulder straps. In the early 1990s, basic slip dresses made from soft crepe fabrics became popular. By the mid-1990s, full-skirted, short, strapless evening gowns reemerged. Also fashionable were lace or elaborately decorated bustiers and fitted evening gowns and black was the color of choice.
Nineteenth-century dresses. The evening dress on the left is a classic example of the X-shaped silhouette that was prevalent during the 1820s.
Contemporary Use of Evening Dress
Today, evening dress is limited to such formal or semiformal events as balls, high school proms, gala fundraisers, pageants, and awards ceremonies. While men’s dress tends to be quite typical (usually a standard dark-colored suit or tuxedo), women’s gowns vary drastically from demure black garments to revealing objets d’art, as might be seen on celebrities at the Academy Awards. Despite the range of possibilities for contemporary evening dress for women, a gown will undoubtedly include a low-cut neckline, a constricting bodice, bared arms, and lavish skirts. Evening dress draws attention to a woman’s body and serves to define her gender, establishing her as an object to be gazed upon by her audience.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boucher, François. 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987.
Laver, James. Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. London: Thames and Hudson, Inc., 1982.
Lobenthal, Joel. Radical Rags: Fashions of the Sixties. New York: Abbeville Press, 1990.
Milbank, Caroline Rennolds. New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989.
Mulvey, Kate, and Melissa Richards. Decades of Beauty: The Changing Image of Women 1890s – 1990s. New York: Octopus, 1998.
Payne, Blanche, Geitel Winakor, and Jane Farrell-Beck. The History of Costume. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992.
Russell, Douglas A. Costume History and Style. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Steele, Valerie. Women of Fashion: Twentieth-Century Designers. New York: Rizzoli International, 1991.
____. Fifty Years of Fashion. New Haven, Conn., and London: Yale University Press, 2000.
____. The Corset. New Haven, Conn., and London: Yale University Press, 2001.
Tortora, Phyllis, and Keith Eubank. Survey of Historic Costume. 3rd ed. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1998.
Watson, Linda. Vogue: Twentieth Century Fashion. London: Carlton Books Ltd., 1999.The 1950s marked a significant change in people's lifestyles and fashions. After enduring war-time austerity, women's clothing became more luxurious and less utilitarian. Fabrics such as taffeta, lace, velvet, silk and satin were popular and even though most women could not afford couture items, improvements in manufacturing meant that Parisian catwalks could influence the high street.
During the war, many women had taken to working in traditional masculine environments such as factories and farms. They had also made do with a shortage of material including a real dearth of silk and nylon stockings, which had been very hard to get hold of. The evening dresses of the 1950s might be seen to be a reaction against these conditions as full skirts and styles that celebrated the female form became fashionable.
Celebrating the Female Shape
Although the female form was being celebrated and some cocktail dresses became shorter -- resulting in the LBD (little black dress) that is still popular today -- showing too much leg was considered racy. Skirts and dresses remained below the knee and many had full circle hems, supported by net and nylon petticoats. The top half of evening and cocktail dresses was often a fitted bodice, which minimized the waist and made the most of the traditional female hourglass shape. Thin straps or no straps were common, requiring the wearer to use a strapless bra. Heels became higher, pushing out the breasts and buttocks.
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Longer Dresses
Longer evening gowns tended to have straighter lines without full petticoats. Luxurious materials and extra details such as beading and sequins were popular and the longer dresses would often have a looser fit than shorter cocktail and party styles. The shape of long evening dresses progressed, alternating between slimmer fitting and fuller styles -- especially in the latter part of the decade. The popular style for longer dresses in 1958 and 1959 were the fullest of the entire decade.
1950s Style Icons
Hollywood provided style icons of the decade including Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn -- all famous for their glamorous personas and clothing. Despite their extremely different body shapes, 1950s evening wear was flatteringly feminine. Marilyn Monroe was able to show off her curves in the famous white dress and heels she wore to pose over a vent; Grace Kelly looked sophisticated in a closer-fitting long white gown and evening gloves when she accepted her Oscar in 1955; and Audrey Hepburn portrayed a beautiful, naive young princess in an off-shoulder, full-skirted white gown and evening gloves in "Roman Holiday."

Evening Wear

Evening Wear

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Evening Wear

Evening Wear

Evening Wear

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Evening Wear

Evening Wear

Evening Wear