Empire silhouette

"Empire line" redirects here. For other uses, see Empire Line.
Evening gown, from 1811
French lady in 1808; the style was often accompanied by a shawl or similar wrap, or a short "Spencer" jacket, as the dresses were light and left much uncovered.

Empire silhouette, Empire line, Empire waist or just Empire is a style in clothing in which the dress has a fitted bodice ending just below the bust, giving a high-waisted appearance, and a gathered skirt which is long and loosely fitting but skims the body rather than being supported by voluminous petticoats.

While the style goes back to the late 18th century, the term "Empire silhouette" arose over a century later in early 20th-century Britain; here the word empire refers to the period of the First French Empire (1804–1815). The word "empire" is pronounced with a special quasi-French pronunciation /ɑːmˈpɪər/ in American fashion history but not in Commonwealth English. It was never used to describe the waistline at the time of its first use and is applied anachronistically to historical styles.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.