Friday, May 18, 2012

Sheath Dress vs Shift Dress

I have not studied fashion in a fashion school but my passion for dressing and love for GOOGLE :) :) has made me learn quite a lot about fashion, trends, terminologies and jargons.
There was a time when I was repeatedly coming across terms like a Sheath dress and a Shift dress. Even though I was designing these types of dresses, I did not really know how to categorize them, after all a dress is a dress..right????
Anyhow, now I know the difference and I am outing the difference between a shift dress and a sheath dress on my blog for all of you to know or to reconfirm or to debate :)

Shift Dress
  • It does not have a defined waist line and is not form fitting
  • It generally hangs loosely from the shoulders and typically is said to be knee length and sleeveless
  • These dresses generally have a shorter necklines like a boat neck or may be collars
  • It can be worn with belts, stockings , tights etc
Sheath Dress
  • It is absolutely form fitting
  • It can be worn longer then a shift dress
  • This dress can be worn on many occasions and it has many interpretations like with or without sleeves, long or short,  formal or casual

This dress that I have worn here can be classified as a Shift and the following dress can be called a Sheath.

For the new readers: Some of the outfits I wear have been designed by me and made at my mother's boutique in India. Whenever I blog about any such outfit, I write a Design Story telling you all about how the outfit came to life. So here follows one more design story...

The Design Story
I got this dress made some 3-4 years ago. I wanted a very simple summer dress with satin ribbons used as embellishments. I have also used a feather lace along with the ribbons on the empire line
The Fabric: Printed Cotton Fabric
The Silhouette: Sheath Dress
The Design Elements: A Feather Lace and Satin Ribbons


                     
Dress: Self Designed at Tangerine Designs, Ludhiana (India)
Scarf: Local Shop in Sharjah (UAE)
Footwear: Aldo
Bracelets: Colaba Causeway, Mumbai (India)
Ring: A Hand-crafter from Pakistan
Clutch: Bandra, Mumbai (India)


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28 comments:

  1. cute dress nice ring! :)
    new post up
    www.fshn4us.blogspot.in

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  2. Even I didnt know the difference...well now I know. :) That dress looks lovely!

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  3. i used to have a black shift dress in the late 80's and i'm so sad i got rid of it i dont think i appreciated it at the time!

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  4. I very much prefer a sheath dress...yours is a beautiful pice, love that fur accent! You should seriously start designing for people! The yellow clutch is the perfect accompaniment to this pretty outfit.

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  5. That is so informative...never knew the dress codes were so different!!
    Really a gorgeous blog ...will wait to see you in my blo too. till then keep posting

    :)

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  6. Your retro yellow bag is sooo cute !
    I love your scarf too !

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  7. Love the yellow clutch :) Perfectly fits in with the dress and the beautiful surroundings!

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  8. Lovely dress, the feathers are a nice touch with it :)

    Really love the beach you are on too - it looks beautiful!

    AwayFromTheBlue.blogspot.com.au

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  9. Great post! You look lovely. :)
    x

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  10. You remind me of summer... I cannot wait to wear this kind of dress!

    xoxo

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  11. The color is fabulous! Lovely green with yellow.
    Have a wonderful sunday Purvi:)

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  12. Fab floral print dress and love that yellow clutch!

    Sita xx
    http://buttonsapart.blogspot.co.uk/

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  13. :) I loved that color ... A shirt would look good on me .. what say he he he


    Bikram's

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  14. The designs and color choice is awesome, Purvi:)

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  15. beautiful bag and ring, I love it!!:)
    And I invite you to my blog:)

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  16. Firstly love the ring. Its gorgeous. Most people really don't know the difference between shift and Sheath dress. You have explained the difference very well. This is simple yet classy dress.
    Happy Blogging,
    Amena.
    Fashionopolis By Amena
    Connect On Facebook

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  17. very nice yellow parse and bangles too.

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  18. Thank you for clarifying the differences! I had no idea haha. And you look lovely in that colour.

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  19. When it comes to wearing color, I always think that either the outfit or accessories should be neutral to balance out overall look! Clearly I was wrong because the yellow bag & scarf look great with your green dress :)!

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  20. Hi dear, thanks fro your comments, Have a lovely lovely weekend.

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  21. omg, the colors, the details, I'm obsessed. so stunning. fabulous post, love. If you get a sec, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my latest post for LaurenConrad.com xo

    www.fashboulevard.blogspot.com

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  22. Love the color and print of this dress! You look beautiful! Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    -Jyoti
    PS. Check out my blog when ever you have time!
    Style-Delights Blog

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  23. That is such a cute dress Purvi. Love the color and print. I'm telling you again. Please start designing and shipping clothes overseas. I know at least 15 people that will buy them without thinking twice.

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  24. well written, find your style of writing is very rich. Written in a very good.
    http://popcherry.com.au/

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  25. Nice comparison between sheath and shift dresses. Fashion dresses for women's give good looking. To impress others with Best Collections of fashion Cocktail Dresses.

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