Evening gown

An evening gown or gown is the general name given to a lady's dress worn to a formal affair.

It corresponds to men's formal wear for white tie and black tie events. Gowns are worn by members of a wedding party, by guests at formal evening weddings, for diplomatic events such as state dinners, and other formal events including debutante cotillions, proms, charity balls, art premiers, the opening of opera and ballet seasons, and many award ceremonies.

For a brief history of the gown, see Clothing terminology.

What is a Gown?

A gown is a long, often loose, flowing garment. It is a type of dress, ranging in length from tea and ballerina to full-length. Gowns are often made of a luxury fabric such as chiffon,velvet, satin, or silk.

Types of Occasions and Dress

Debutantes

For their debuts, debutantes wear white ball gowns in styles specified by the governing society.

White Tie Occasions

According to rules of etiquette and attire, ladies must wear a ball gown to events where men are required to wear white tie attire.

The elements of ladies' white tie attire could include:

ball gown - ballerina or full-length
dancing shoes - formal pumps, sandals or ballet slippers
jewellery - earrings and necklace; rings and bracelets are optional. A watch is not considered de rigueur except for jewelled versions where the face is covered so that it ressembles a bracelet.
gloves - if worn, should be opera length
stole, cape or cloak, or an opera coat
handbag - clutch style or small evening bag

Optional:

state decorations - if specified on invitation; worn on a bow pinned to the chest
tiara - if "state decoration" is specified; worn by married women only

Black Tie Occasions

A gown for a black tie event may be full length, ballet, or tea (mid-calf to ankle) length. In general, the same rules as a white-tie event apply to a black-tie event, though in some cases a cocktail gown may be acceptable.

To accompany a gentleman wearing a formal kilt, a lady wears a white gown with a tartan sash. A less formal variant is a longer kilted skirt with jacket. The sash or kilted skirt may be the tartan of the woman's own clan (if she is entitled to wear one), of her husband's clan, or any of the "district tartans" approved for general wear.

Alternatives to the Gown

In the 1940s, couturiers introduced "dancing costumes", a party dress with a full skirt specifically made for semi-formal and formal dances. The dancing costume was shorter than the evening gown.
A "ball skirt" is a variant fashion which resurfaced in the 1990s, consisting of a full, long skirt that can be worn with a cashmere sweater, lace camisole, or other dressy top.

In the United States it is increasingly common for people to wear evening attire beginning at 4 p.m., although this used to be the subject of derision.