Difference between a Shift Dress and a Sheath Dress

For me fashion is not just admiring pretty clothes and throwing out chic terms while gabbing away at events or writing on this blog. Since I was an adolescent I have been enthralled with all things couture and style. I come from a rich history of seamstresses and haute couturist, yes trained in France so I love to see the whole creation process of clothes. With that said, it irks me when I go on “”fashion” blogs and I see the misuse of terminology or the incorrect naming of certain clothing items. It is not about just about regurgitating from magazines or other channels. The name of the garment usually coincides with how it’s made and I believe even though we are “just bloggers”, we should still be professional and knowledgeable in our posts. We are our generations fashion journalists! I recently was browsing various blogs when I stumbled upon at least 3 that called a sheath dress a shift dress and vice versa. It is probably just a mistake but I felt the need to do a post on the difference between the two.

So please bear with me as I attempt to define them.

Shift Dress: Generally hangs very loose  from shoulder to hem. Usually it is above the knee or micro length. It is very 1920’s and has some resemblance to the shape of flapper dresses. The biggest sign that it is a shift dress is that the garment will lack a defined waist.

Gwyneth Paltrow is rocking a white shift dress in the image above.

Sheath Dress: A sheath dress is figure hugging and typically to the knee.It will fit tightly to your body but not as tight as body conscious styles/ bandage dresses. This style has a defined waist and its name comes from “sheath of sword” because it encases or secures the body. Tika Sumpter is doing an amazing job of wearing a sheath dress with color block paneling at the sides.

-more examples below-