An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina, tea, to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening gloves. Evening gowns are usually made of luxurious fabrics such as chiffon, velvet, satin, or organza. 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, while an evening gown can be any silhouette—sheath, mermaid, fit and flare, A-line, or trumpet-shaped—and may have straps, halters or even sleeves.
Maria Grazia Cucinotta wearing a black evening gown at the Venice Film Festival
Evening gowns shown at a Los Angeles fashion show, 1947
White cotton gown, ca. 1804-05
Lavender evening gown by Irish designer Sybil Connolly from c. 1970
A dress is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice. It consists of a top piece that covers the torso and hangs down over the legs. A dress can be any one-piece garment containing a skirt of any length, and can be formal or casual.
Illustration of 18th century French women
Empire dress, 1800–1805, cotton and linen, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
French afternoon dress, circa 1903, cotton and silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
Dresses in the 1930s.
