Bridal Shop
The Long and Short of Wedding Gown Lingo
By Lisa Cooke - Copley News Service
Shopping for a wedding gown can be overwhelming. For starters, the whole bridal shop experience is far more service oriented than most women are used to. Not only are the salespeople willing to help, it's usually mandatory because of the delicate - and expensive - nature of the merchandise.
After you get used to being the center of attention, it's helpful to know wedding gown terminology. It's much easier to ask to try on the A-line moire gown with chapel train and Bobbin lace, than to resort to "that big white gown on the end."
Gown Solhouette
- Ball gown: fitted waist and bodice, full skirt.
- Basque: natural waist with V-front.
- Empire: small, scooped bodice, gathers at high waist and has a slender, graceful skirt.
- Princess/A-line: slim fitting; vertical seams flow from shoulders to hem. There is no seam on the waist.
- Sheath: narrow, body-conscious style indented at the waist or sculpted, following the bust, waist and hips.
Lengths and Trains
- Short: above-the-knee length.
- Knee-length: hem just covers the knees.
- High-low: hem falls from slightly below the knee to ankle in the front; ankle to train-length in back.
- Midcalf/ballet-length: hem reaches to center of the calf to ankle length.
- Floor-length: hem fully skims the floor.
- Sweep train: shortest train; extends back 8 to 12 inches after touching floor.
- Chapel train: trails 31/2 to 41/2 feet from waist.
- Semicathedral train: extends 41/2 to 51/2 feet from waist.
- Cathedral: flows 61/2 to 71/2 feet from waist.
- Extended cathedral/Monarch train: cascades 12 feet from waist.
Necklines
- High: high band collar; fits close to the neck.
- Sabrina: gently follows the curve of the collarbone, almost to the tip of the shoulders.
- Portrait: off-the-shoulder; extra fabric framing the neckline.
- Jewel: round neckline at base of throat.
- Queen Anne: rises high at the back of the neck; sculpts low to outline a bare yoke.
- Sweetheart: shaped like the top half of a heart.
Fabric
- Brocade: Jacquard-woven fabric with raised designs.
- Charmeuse: lightweight, smooth, satiny fabric.
- Chiffon: delicately sheer, thin, transparent fabric of silk or rayon with a soft finish.
- Crepe: silk or rayon fabric made with crepe yarn.
- Eyelet: open-weave embroidery.
- Moire: silk taffeta; wave-patterned to glisten like water when illuminated.
- Organdy: sheer, transparent crisp silk or rayon fabric; sometimes printed or embroidered.
- Organza: sheer, crisp fabric like chiffon, but with a
stiff finish.
- Silk-faced satin: smooth, lustrous silk weave with a glossy face and dull back.
- Taffeta: crisp, smooth fabric with a small, crosswise rib.
- Tulle: fine, sheer, open-weave net in silk, nylon, or rayon; for skirts, veils.
- Voile: fine, soft sheer fabric; more like linen than cotton.
Veils
- Blusher: loose veil worn forward over face and, after the ceremony, turned back, over the headpiece; often attached to longer, three-tiered veil or attached to hat.
- Flyaway: multiple layers that brush the shoulders; usually worn with informal, ankle-length dress or a style with detail in back.
- Fingertip: several layers of veiling that touch the fingertips.
- Ballet-length/Waltz-length: falls to the ankles.
- Chapel-length: cascades 21/3 yards from headpiece.
- Cathedral-length: cascades at least 31/2 yards from headpiece, usually worn with a cathedral train.
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