Evening Dresses

Evening dresses are such gowns worn for formal events and for some semi formal events. They are dated back to the fifteenth century and have evolved over time. Two thing have always held true about evening dresses: they are always made from nice fabrics and are to the floor in length, or just a little above.

Evening dresses, in their earliest days were made from various weaves of wool and slowly progressed to richer fabrics like silk. Silk was by far the choice of the ladies with the higher social status and the dresses were often adorned with fur as well. In the 16th and 17th centuries, with a plethora of social and artistic events to attend, ladies had more than enough reasons to wear evening dresses. Complete with tight corset bodices, long trains, extremely low necklines, and ornate details, these evening dresses were a sight for sore eyes. Lace, ribbons, and embroidery were just a few of the details added to give these evening dresses the special touch. Also in these centuries, velvet, satin, and taffeta were often used to create beautiful evening dresses. Into the 18th century, the focus of evening dress design seemed to be on the skirt. The bigger the better. It went from being large and round to out wide to the sides! Looking back on the 18th century evening dresses, we often wonder, why the large skirts? The extra volume in the skirts were exactly what the ladies were looking for for their court appearances. Up until this point, the evening dresses were actually called court dresses. In the 19th century, sleeves were the part of the gowns that made the most change. The skirts were still full, but the dresses went from full huge sleeves, to wide founces, to extremely low necklines, to short sleeves with low necklines, and finally to sleeveless evening dresses worn with gloves. Evening gowns in the 19th century also differed depending on what type of event you were going to. Balls and operas were the most formal type of events and thus, the most formal of evening gowns were expected. Pushing into the 20th century, new silhouettes like, mermaid, empire waist, a-line, and trumpet styles became readily worn. Movie stars like Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe made styles of evening gowns extremely popular in their day and beyond.