Princess line

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
1878-1880 Princess line dress. V&A, CIRC.606-1962[1]
A princess line dress is shown on the left. The other dress has a clear separation between bodice and skirt. September 1905

Princess line or princess dress describes a woman's fitted dress or other garment cut in long panels without a horizontal join or separation at the waist.[2][3] Instead of relying on darts to shape the garment, the fit is achieved with long seams (princess seams) and shaped pattern pieces.[4] A rarely used alternative name for the princess line was French-dart-line dress.[5][6]

History

19th century

The princess line is popularly associated with

bodycon" (body-conscious) fashions due to its extremely closely fitted design, presenting the figure in a natural (or at least, corseted) form undistorted by either crinoline or bustle.[8] Princess-line polonaises were worn over long underskirts.[9] The princess line was also popular for young girls who wore it with a sash or, if slightly older, over a longer underskirt.[10]

20th century

The princess line was a staple of dress design and construction throughout the century. In 1951 the couturier Christian Dior presented a princess-line based fashion collection which is sometimes called the "Princess Line", although its official name was Ligne Longue or "Long Line".[11]

21st century

The princess line remains a popular style for wedding dresses and a design staple for both day and evening dresses.[2][4] More recently, the design principle has been applied to men's garments, which generally do not have waist seams.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Princess dress, 1878-1880, jacquard woven silk and ruched silk trimmed with machine made lace". V&A Search the Collections. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
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  11. . For the autumn 1951 Dior announced his Long Line, [...] The main cut for dresses was the princess line, Worth's invention to avoid waistlines...
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