The Wrap Dress
Wrap Around Dresses are Perfect for Every Occasion & Body Type
Both retro and timeless, the wrap dress's versatile cross-over style makes it a wardrobe staple that flatters women's bodies of all shapes and sizes.
The Wrap Dress is Born
Season after season, the flawless wrap dress finds itself reworked, redesigned and reinvented on the runways of modern designers, but one woman alone can take the credit for the fabulous little package that is the wrap dress.
Introduced to fashionable women by the legendary powerhouse of style, Diane von Furstenberg in the 1970s, more than three decades later the wrap dress continues to be as flattering and curve-loving as ever. Of course, wrap-style dresses have been around for centuries, such as the kimono and toga, but the modern wrap dress has streamlined, simple lines that every woman can appreciate.
According to the Belgian born designer's website, in 1972, Diane von Furstenberg's concept for the contemporary wrap dress began as a cotton jersey shirt dress similar to a wrapped dancer's sweater. And just a few years later, in 1974, the shirt prototype was elongated into the fabulous frock commonly known as the wrap dress.
Von Furstenberg's revolutionary design earned her massive acclaim and came to symbolize female power and freedom to an entire generation as she encouraged women to "feel like a woman, wear a dress."
Inspired by a chic, young generation of women who were buying vintage 1970s wrap dresses, Diane re-launched her wrap dress collection in 1997.
The Figure-Flattering Wrap Dress
If ever there was a garment designed to flatter a woman's figure, it was to be the wrap dress. Tall and willowy, shorter and shapely, plus sized or petite, the wrap dress looks phenomenal on every shape. The folding style of the wrap dress hugs a woman's body in all the right places, skimming the hips, accentuating cleavage, and cinching the waist.
Wrap Dresses Accentuate Sexy, Curvy Figures
If you are curvy with an hour-glass figure, the cross-over wrap dress with its lovely waist-cinching tie further accentuates a narrow waist, full bosom, and shapely hips.
The Wrap Dress Feminizes Boyish Figures
If you have more of a rectangular or straight figure, with little difference between your hips and waist – like Diane von Furstenberg herself – the wrap dress will create the illusion of a more womanly shape thanks to its tied waist closure. And women with flatter chests can indulge in deeper necklines without worrying about looking too risqué.
Wrap Dress as a Maternity Staple
Since the wrap dress is extremely customizable, the wrap dress is also an excellent investment for the expectant mother. A jersey-knit maternity wrap dress will take you from early first trimester (before you've shared the news) and well into the second or third trimester. The tie will sit just below your bust line once your waist disappears, and the fluid stretch fabric will flatter your rounded, pregnant body.
The Wrap Dress is Versatile
A testament to its universally flattering shape and versatility, the wrap around dress can be found in nearly every fabric, style and color. A true chameleon, the wrap dress is one of the only garments that can work so many different ways:
- Dress the wrap dress up for a formal evening affair with sexy stilettos and stunning earrings.
- Convert the wrap dress into a casual weekend brunch look with boots, chunky jewelry and a pashmina.
- Dress the wrap around dress way down at the beach worn over your swimsuit with flip flops
- Make a wrap dress totally funky and modern by wearing it over leggings or your favorite designer jeans.
Image courtesy of RevolveClothing.com
