Silhouette

What do you mean by a silhouette?

Contour or outline as shown in a solid black background on white background. Silhouette is the most dominant visual element of a garment.

Image via Pixabay

A bit of background:

The art of silhouette originated in the 1700s, while the name Silhouette traces back to the mid-18th-century French finance minister, Etienne de Silhouette.

• In the 1900s: the popular silhouette was the S-curve form.
• In the 1940s, Christian Dior introduced the New look or X-Line silhouette.

• In the 1980s the silhouette of the decade was the “V” or “inverted triangle” silhouette.

Different types of silhouette:

This silhouette is popularly used for wedding gowns.

1. X-line Silhouette:  Strong accent on the waist creates more volume on the hips and the shoulders; this is caused by a slim waist or belt.The X-line suits women with an hourglass body type.

2. A-Line Silhouette: It resembles the letter A and constitutes of a fitted upper bodice with a skirt that flares gently done from waist to hemline.

3. Empire Silhouette: Fitted upper bodice with waistline directly below the bust. Emphasizes the bust and disguises stomach area.

4. Wedge Silhouette: Bigger at the top and fitted at the bottom. The wedge shape draws the eye’s attention to the shoulder area.

5. H-Line Silhouette: A classic introduced by Dior. The silhouette is straight with a slight accent on the waist.

6. Trapeze-line Silhouette: It is narrow at the breast and waist with a wide shape skirt as a bell.

7. Charleston-Line Silhouette: Famous in the 20s when the flapper dresses became popular. It is straight and loose.

Image via Pixabay