In the popular fairytale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, two cunning tailors tricked the emperor into believing that he was to put on the most magnificent outfit for the parade, only to find out in the end, after a child tactfully points it out, that he is in fact naked and absolutely foolish.
Women will never have that problem. From the beginning of time they have been known to have the fiercest and most capricious taste in clothing and that is probably why women’s clothing is not just comprised of a shirt and a pair of pants. Through the years, the exact definition of a complete ensemble had to be redefined, making women’s clothing the most complicated and innovative of all attires. No longer just a blouse and skirt – and not even just a dress – women’s clothing has indeed become so complicated that if someone from the past were to time travel, they might not know what to wear.
– What has become of women’s clothing nowadays?
From the simple t-shirt, a woman now has several designs of tops to choose from. Some can be worn on their own, others are designed to be worn with something else. Here are just a small sample of the tops women can wear:
Bandeau – a band-shaped clothing material designed to cover the breast area
Double-tee top – this is a kind of shirt design in which there is a form-fitting shirt inside another shirt to give the appearance of layers.
Wrap/Surplice – a garment with criss-crossing fabrics either in the front or at the back.
Halter top – a sleeveless shirt that creates a wrap neck along the top of the neckline.
Tunic – a slip on article of clothing that is often knee-length or even longer at times. Sometimes worn as an outer garment, over more delicate pieces of clothing.
Corset / Bodice – usually strapless with straps and laces that are enclosed from the back. A corset or bodice can be very form-fitting.
Now, take a look at how the bottoms evolved. In the past, women are only expected to wear skirts, long in length, to be specific. In the 21st century, women can browse through a selection of ‘bottoms’ to pair with their tops.
Skirts
Straight-cut skirts – as it is named, these are skirts that are straight. Sometimes referred to as pencil-cut.
A-line skirts – these are skirts that flares at the bottom to create what you call an, A-line.
Sheaths – these are tight skirts which are often times, knee-length high and have slits on either side.
Sarong – a rather long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the body and is usually worn as a cover-up.
Skort – a short + skirt. They are shorts underneath but appear as skirts to the untrained eye.
Pants
Boot cut pants – these are low rise pants that flare from the knee to the ankle.
Gaucho pants – these are pants with very wide legs and only come up to the mid calf or ankle.
Capri pants – these are pants that end at the mid-calf or ankle area.
Then who can forget the dresses? Women will never get tired of dresses. They are breezy, very girly and very comfortable to wear.
Shirtwaist – a dress with a bodice attached to a full skirt.
Sundress – an very informal sleeveless dress that is lightweight and therefore very comfortable to wear during hot summer days.
Gown – a full dress intended to be worn for formal occasions.
Sheath – a very fitted dress that is often sleeveless.
Jumper dress – a dress that is intended to be worn over a shirt, just like an ordinary jumper but longer.
Shift – a straight dress with no shape in the waist.
Tent – a dress that is flared beginning from the bust down.
Wrap – a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side on the other.
Women’s clothing has truly become complicated through the years. As a matter of fact, no ensemble should ever be complete without the perfect bag and pair of shoes. Some women will not survive without jewellery even, or any accessory to complicate the outfit even more. Bottom line: dressing up is one of the best things there is for a woman and for them, the world is their catwalk.
Claire Armstrong
