What is an Evening Dress?

The concept of evening dress has only existed for more than 200 years, and its origin also has a clear time node: the French Revolution. Before the French Revolution, those occasions that required formal dress were related to the royal family, such as the palace ball, the aristocratic salon, or the royal theater. The clothes for these occasions are called court dresses. The royal family has clear requirements for the shape of the palace costumes. For example, during the reign of Louis XIV of the Sun King, it was stipulated that the palace coat should be designed with bare shoulders, full of braces, tied ropes at the back, detachable lace sleeves, and a large tail hanging from the shoulder or waist to the ground. This move has been followed by European countries.

History of evening dress

After the French Revolution, the upper middle class rose rapidly. Formal dances and dinners are no longer exclusive activities for princes and nobles. Evening dresses tailored for these occasions came into being. At the same time, palace clothes gradually become the only clothes that can be worn on such an extremely grand occasion as the royal wedding. Like religious clothing, it carries more of a symbol of identity and status, so the shape development is gradually solidified.

Throughout the 19th century, evening dress followed the fashion trend. Gradually diversified with the development of society, extending to ball gowns, dinner dresses, opera gowns, and other categories. The difference between these skirts is small, and they can even be used interchangeably in many cases.

With the development of fashion becoming more and more popular, evening dress has gradually become the dress that can only be worn on special occasions such as award ceremonies and charity dinners.

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