The empire line dress – everyone’s best friend
The empire line dress is universally loved as a classic and flattering piece. It is just about everyone’s best friend as it is flattering for most body shapes. The empire line describes dresses, tops and even jackets that have a horizontal seam just below the bust line. It is a clever way of allowing the body and skirt of a dress to hang in such a way that it skims over the stomach, hips and thighs which are often problem areas that people want to hide. It also helps to lengthen the body and is particularly flattering for pear and apple shapes. Â Empire line is also sometimes described as a high waisted dress. The name of this style of dress is taken from the First French Empire.
Another key attraction to the empire line dress is that is very comfortable particularly in warm weather. The material is quite loose around the torso and legs making it easier to keep cool and move about in. It is also comfortable to sit in as the fabric around the waist is not too tight.
Empire line dresses have been around for years, in fact a basic form of empire line was worn by ancient Greeks and Romans when they wore belts under the bust to give shape to their flowing robes. The empire line has also been popular throughout history and enjoyed a revival in the sixties. Since then it has remained a key classic piece that doesn’t go out of fashion.
There are various different styles of empire line dresses with different bust shapes and varying amounts of fabric used in the skirt. Some will have pleats or folds around the empire line seam or an a line shape giving a fuller more flowing skirt This gives a romantic look which is great for evening dresses and occasion dresses. Others will have a slimmer fit for a neater look. This type of empire line is more suitable for a smarter or work dresses. There are also varying lengths of empire line dress from the mini style, to the shift dress which is usually just below knee length and the maxi dress which skims the floor.
The baby doll dress is a version of the empire line dress which became popular in the sixties. It is usually mini length with a flat and unshaped bust. A great style for hiding a round tummy and showing off legs so perfect for apple shapes.
All of the empire line dresses and tops also work really well for petite or shorter ladies. The higher waist makes the body look longer and helps to create an illusion of height, whist keeping everything else in proportion.
Empire line dresses can be very plain or patterned. Some designs make a feature of the empire line with embellishments, trim or different fabrics on the top and bottom. You can add an interesting feature to an empire line dress yourself by adding a belt or ribbon in a contrasting colour around the empire line. Wider belts tend to look better where the skirt is fuller and narrower belts on more fitted styles.