Imagine having a dress in your wardrobe that will never go out of style. Imagine a single dress that you can wear for work, dinner dates, and even to weddings. That dress exists and it’s called the sheath dress.
The sheath dress is a form-fitting dress with a cinched waist but importantly is cut from a single length of fabric so that it avoids having a seamline at the waist. The cinching is created by darts that run from below the bustline down to the hips.
Let’s take a closer look at this gorgeous dress that can help you show off your cinched waistline.
What Are The Significant Features Of A Sheath Dress?
A sheath dress is a close-fitting dress that usually sits at the knee or above. It features a cinched waist but there is typically no seam line at the waist as the dress gets its shape from darts that run from around the bust area down to the hip.
A lot of sheath dresses are sleeveless but you can get them with short or long sleeves. They also tend to have a high neckline, however, you can get them with a v-neck, scoop neck, or sweetheart neckline, for example. You’ll mostly find this dress in a solid color and it may look quite plain but you can also find them with lace overlays, sheer elements, and patterns too.
The sheath dress will show off your waist, bust, and hips and you can even get them with a slit at the front/side so your legs get some attention too!
What Are The Origins Of The Sheath Dress?
Some people say that the sheath dress (or the silhouette of it) can be traced back to Ancient Egypt but we only have paintings to go by so we don’t know if that is strictly true.
However, we do know that the hourglass silhouette was around in the late Victorian era (19th Century) as women wore what is known as a “princess dress”. And these dresses had no waist seam as the bodice and skirt were cut whole from one piece of fabric and the shape came from darts just like the sheath dress.
The sheath dress has basically evolved over time and it was in the 50s and 60s that it looked most like the garment we know and love today. Christian Dior and other designers played a large part in making the sheath dress popular at that time, it was adored by Vogue magazine and everyone from Jacqueline Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe wore them!
What Figure/Body Shape Is Best Suited To A Sheath Dress?
The hourglass body shape is best suited to this dress because the sheath dress naturally shows off the waist and hips – it’s just a good fit. But this dress can also look great on both rectangle and inverted triangle body shapes because it can create a waist and give you a different silhouette.
The sheath dress won’t do much for the apple body shape due to the cinched waist of the dress. And pears may struggle to find a dress that fits well at the top and bottom of the body due to the hip area. However, pears always have the option of finding a sheath dress that fits the bottom half well and then getting the top half altered for the perfect fit!
Etiquette: When Can You Wear/Not Wear Your Sheath Dress?
This dress is perfect for work, dinner dates, and even weddings. It’s a very versatile dress that can be styled in many different ways when you add cardigans/jackets and accessories into the mix.
But you probably wouldn’t throw this dress on to hit the beach, go to a laid-back summer bbq or pick the kids up from school as you’d look a little overdressed!
What Shoes/Bag Works Best With A Sheath Dress?
High-heeled shoes always look great with this dress so go for pumps, slingbacks, open or closed-toe heels with ankle strap, pointed T-bar shoes, and ankle boots. But if you don’t want to do heels then flat loafers, flat mules, and d’Orsay flats are great options.
Structured tote bags and satchels look great with a sheath dress for work and it has to be a clutch bag when attending an event or party. Mini bags with a top handle can also work and simple cross-body bags in a contrasting color to your dress will look fab!
If you are looking to shop for a sheath dress, start with Amazon where they have this one for example.
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