A slip dress is a woman's dress that closely resembles an underslip or

petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British E ...

. It is traditionally cut on the bias, with

spaghetti strap Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.spaghetti
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Una ...

s. The slip dress looked like an undergarment, but was intended to be seen, and through the use of lace and sheer elements, offer glimpses of the body beneath. Designers associated with slip dresses include

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

, whose debut design for

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

was a lace-trimmed slip dress worn by

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

in 1996;

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

and

Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Jesus Rodriguez III (; born January 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer. Early life and education Rodriguez was born in Newark, New Jersey, the eldest child and only son of Cuban parents. His parents, Narciso Rodríguez Sanchez II, ...

History

Slip dresses first became widely worn in the last decade of the 20th century, as part of the underwear-as-outerwear trend, when they were made from layered chiffon,

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

satin A satin weave is a type of Textile, fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back; it is not durable, as it tends to snag. It is one of three fundamen ...

s and

charmeuse Charmeuse (; ; ) is a lightweight fabric woven with a satin weave. These float threads give the front of the fabric a smooth, shiny finish, whereas the back has a dull finish. Charmeuse differs from plain satin in that charmeuse has a different r ...

, and often trimmed with lace. The dresses typified the sartorial minimalism of the 1990s. The slip dress became associated with the decade's supermodels, notably

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

, who garnered attention with a sheer version in 1993. Courtney Love's fondness for the style granted slip dresses

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

credibility. They were usually worn above the knee with opaque tights, leggings, or bike shorts which were seen below the bottom of the dress and a capped sleeved tee usually white or a capped sleeved bodysuit underneath. There were longer versions available but the shorter version was most popular. The style enjoyed a renewed popularity starting in the late 2010s and continuing into the 2020s as part of a broader revival of 1990s fashion trends. The spring 2016 collections of both Yves Saint Laurent and

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

featured the garment. Since then, slip dresses have been a red carpet staple. The

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

spring 2021 ready-to-wear collection included slip dresses with a beachy theme.

References

Dresses 1990s fashion https://www.rivalgirl.com/blogs/rivalgirl-edit/sheer-dressing-lingerie-dress-slips {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807064808/https://www.rivalgirl.com/blogs/rivalgirl-edit/sheer-dressing-lingerie-dress-slips , date=2020-08-07 Women's clothing