It’s All in the Wiggle – A Look at the Wiggle Dress
What a wiggle dress is, how to tell it from a sheath, and who wears it well, from Joan Holloway in Mad Men to Queen Letizia and Queen Maxima.
Some styles never go away. The wiggle dress is one of them. It is the fitted dress of the 1950s and 1960s, and it is still walking into wardrobes today. Think of Joan Holloway in Mad Men, or Marilyn Monroe.
Still: Mad Men, AMC
What is a wiggle dress?
A wiggle dress is a sheath dress taken to the extreme. It hugs the body and then tapers from the hips to the hem, which sits at the knee or just below. Not any sheath dress will do. If the hem doesn’t narrow, it is a sheath. Pretty, but not a wiggle.
The cut was designed to follow a woman’s curves and to draw the eye to how she moves. You don’t walk in a wiggle dress. You strut.
Why the wiggle is for royalty
The key is the fit. Queen Letizia of Spain has mastered it. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has made the wiggle dress her own too, in bold colours and prints.
Kate Middleton is another to look at for a fitted dress.
Queen Maxima again, this time in a fitted red dress.
And Kate once more, in a fitted pink midi dress.
But wiggle dresses are not only for royalty or Hollywood. So let’s be practical. This is not the easiest dress to move in. For me, that is rather the point. You slow down. You own each step.
If you are shopping for one, look at the taper first. This is not a dress to throw on. The hem should narrow towards the knee, enough to give you that walk.
Wiggle inspiration
There are plenty of modern versions, from classic polka dots to bold new prints and fabrics. Designers keep going back to the shape. Take your cue from Bettie Page or from Joan Holloway. There is a wiggle dress out there for you.
If you sew, why not make your own? Choose a good fabric, and add a slit or a kick pleat so you can walk.
Life is too short to wear boring dresses.
