In the 18th century and before that, "shift" meant an undergarment, likely of linen. The style was popular with flappers in the '20s and came back in the late '50s and early '60s. Designer Hubert Givenchy introduced "the sack," another name for the shift dress, in Lilly Pulitzer's tropical print shifts and British designers' mini shifts helped the look take off in the '60s.
The form-fitting sheath, with its nipped-in waist, has its roots in Dior's New Look revolution of Instead of the New Look's full skirt, though, Dior, Chanel and other designers began slimming down the look for the '50s, creating the sleek, sophisticated silhouette that would be emblematic of the era and particularly of the little black dress.
The waist is de-emphasized, which allows women to move around freely without constraints. This style tends to downplay and sometimes conceals those awesome curves, but is definitely a comfortable choice. The shift dress was glamorized by First Lady and fashion icon Jackie Kennedy. She wore the Lilly dresses as well. In addition her style was simple and sleek. Trendsetting style icon, actress Audrey Hepburn wore shift dresses both onscreen and off.
She sported predominantly black dresses. Michelle Obama made the shift dress and a cardigan combination her own. She was photographed in a shift dress for her first formal White House portrait. It has a democratic appeal across age and race boundaries. The short hemlines and boxy cut may not appeal to all women, but the style has become timeless and classic, continuing to appeal to women regardless of the current fashion trends.
As a style of dress, the shift dress now stands outside of fashion. The dress is a versatile and convenient wardrobe staple that can be worn across a range of different events including both professional and personal. This is one reason why we love it here at Working Frocks. It is a versatile staple that takes you from day to night, with everything inbetween. These days our lives are filled with a variety of events and appointments. Working Frocks dresses are designed to be versatile enough to be appropriate for all your diary appointments.
The shift dress style converts well from day to night. It travels well and can be worn on almost any occasion. Its universally appealing cut and style take the guesswork out of outfit planning.
What we have done at Working Frocks is design a dress that can be worn by curvy women too. The straight, shapeless cut of the traditional shift dress does not suit all body shapes. They are easiest to wear for women with a boyish shape, or for women with a uniform body shape, ie that their bust and hip measurements are similar.
The straightness of the dress fits tightly at the hips but loosely at the waist, making it hard to fit an hourglass shape. That is why we, at Working Frocks, have slightly re-engineered the shift dress to accommodate all body shapes including those of us who are more curvy. The shift dress was a hallmark of the Sexual Revolution. It allowed women to dance, move and work at liberty. It united style and comfort, but was sensationally short and revealing. In many respects, the shift is a symbol of youth culture.
The cut is all about mobility, exposure and casual ease. Fans like its trendiness, loose fit and understated style, and although its a flattering cut on all body types, historically it favored women with small busts, slim frames and long legs, reinforcing the adolescent Twiggy or pixie look of the s.
It remains a youth staple. The shift dress has many manifestations. It can be worn in all seasons with sandals in the summer, with boots and coats in fall, tights and sweaters in winter and scarves and heels in spring.
It can be dressed up with a jacket and pearls, glamorized with gloves and diamonds, dressed down with comfy flats or sneakers and thrown on over a bathing suit for a day at the beach. Depending on the fabric, color and texture, a shift dress can create a variety of looks.
A plain white or black shift is chic and seductive and a brightly colored shift in bold patterns is fun and flirtatious, while a pastel shift with bows is innocent and girlish. Sarah York has been a freelance writer and editor for five years. She holds both a B. Features The shift dress is short and straight with a simple line.
Appeal The shift dress is particularly popular with young to middle-aged women, but really it's appropriate for any age. History The shift dress can be traced back to the s flapper trends.
Effects Shift dresses of the s signified a new trend in women's clothing.
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