Depending on design the dresses are classified. The different basic dress shapes are:
Shirtwaist, a dress with a bodice (waist) like a tailored shirt and an attached straight or full skirt
Sheath, a fitted, often sleeveless dress, often without a waist seam (1960s)
Shift, a straight dress with no waist shaping or seam (1960s)
Jumper dress (American English) or Pinafore dress (British English) is a sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a layering top or blouse. Jumper dresses exist for both summer and winter wear.
Sundress is an informal sleeveless dress of any shape in a lightweight fabric, for summer wear.
Tent, a dress flared from above the bust, sometimes with a yoke (1960s, renewed popularity after 2005)
Maxi dress, a long, formfitting, floor or ankle length dress.
Surplice dress – has a neckline which is formed by two pieces of fabric wrapping around each other creating a V-neck.
Wrap dress, a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other and knotting the attached ties on the side, or fastening buttons. This forms a V-shaped neckline and hugs a woman's curves. A faux wrap dress resembles this design, except that it comes already fastened together with no opening in front, but instead is slipped on over the head. (1970s; renewed popularity from late 1990s)
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