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Evening Gowns

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.

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
The Empire silhouette 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.