In keeping with the rise of DIY and the ever-growing, ever-adapting athleisure movement, designers embraced parachute-style ruching: sporty, bungee-cord-accented pulls that you yourself can tug on to alter the look of your piece. The ripple effect began with Donatella Versace, Consuelo Castiglioni, Simon Porte Jacquemus, Phillip Lim, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran and more industry notables. In recent seasons (read: since Spring 2017), ruching has undergone something of a renaissance. But if it is experimentally snaking all over a bright purple dress, it’s doing all that and more.ĭesigners are more than wise to this fact. Sure, ruching’s main purpose is to help clothes cling liven up their silhouette. Of course, the most fun ruched pieces to wear - whether the technique is used sparingly or covers the entire garment - are the ones where a touch of crinkling puts on a major show. You probably remember it from the early 2000s, when it helped body-con dresses be extra “con.” It also turns up often on maternity clothes, a tactical device used to play down swollen boobs or help life-housing bellies breathe free. Ruching is a longtime designer darling: Norma Kamali’s obsession with the classic gathering technique began in the 80s, Junya Watanabe’s in the 90s. Whether you gravitate toward backless maxi dresses or silk charmeuse gowns by Alexander McQueen or embellished, ruffled floral-print designs by Chloe or Versace, there is an extraordinary collection of vintage and designer evening dresses and gowns waiting for you on 1stDibs.And that, folks, is what we’re here to celebrate today. Today’s designers target an increasingly broad audience with their boundary-crossing work, and their tendency to play off of each other’s ideas means that every walk down the runway is also a walk through an entire history of fashion design and dress craftsmanship. Works by unconventional British designer John Galliano - featured in houses like Givenchy and Dior - redefined limits that dressmakers faced in terms of material, construction and vision during the late 20th century. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent introduced innovative and highly coveted dress designs in the 1960s while at the same time challenging sexist stereotypes about which members of society could wear tuxedos. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reimagined traditionally masculine garments for feminine shapes, and her elegant evening dresses and gowns promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by layers of fabric. Forward-thinking designers have responded to this history. In the 16th century, dresses and gowns were so important that England's Queen Elizabeth I defined rules about what dresses women could wear - guidance included long skirts and fitted bodices. Fashion is a powerful means of self-expression, and sophisticated vintage evening dresses and gowns by our favorite couturier play no small role in making us feel wonderful but, perhaps more importantly, making us feel like ourselves.Įvening dresses over time have conveyed specific statements about social class, position and beliefs. With entire museum exhibitions dedicated to examining fashion designers and their creations, we’re finally recognizing that costuming is art.
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