"Princess Line" redirects here. For the franchise alternatively known as the "Princess Line", seeDisney Princess.
1878–1880 Princess line dress.V&A, CIRC.606-1962[1]A princess line dress is shown on the left. The other dress has a clear separation between bodice and skirt. September 1905
Princess line orprincess dress describes a woman's fitteddress or other garment cut in long panels without a horizontal join or separation at the waist.[2][3] Instead of relying ondarts to shape the garment, the fit is achieved with longseams (princess seams) and shapedpattern pieces.[4] A rarely used alternative name for the princess line wasFrench-dart-line dress.[5][6]
The princess line is popularly associated withCharles Frederick Worth who first introduced it in the early 1870s.[2][7] It was named in honour of the famously elegantPrincess Alexandra.[7][8] By the late 1870s and early 1880s the princess dress was a popular style. It is considered one of the first "bodycon" (body-conscious) fashions due to its extremely closely fitted design, presenting the figure in a natural (or at least,corseted) form undistorted by eithercrinoline orbustle.[8] Princess-linepolonaises were worn over long underskirts.[9] The princess line was also popular for young girls who wore it with asash or, if slightly older, over a longer underskirt.[10]
The princess line was a staple of dress design and construction throughout the century. In 1951 the couturierChristian Dior presented a princess-line-based fashion collection which is sometimes called the "Princess Line", although its official name wasLigne Longue or "Long Line".[11]
The princess line remains a popular style forwedding dresses and a design staple for both day and evening dresses.[2][4] More recently, the design principle has been applied to men's garments, which generally do not have waist seams.[12]
^Marly, Diana de (1990).Christian Dior. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 45.ISBN9780713464535.For the autumn 1951 Dior announced his Long Line, [...] The main cut for dresses was the princess line, Worth's invention to avoid waistlines...
