Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A babydoll is a short nightgown or negligee intended as nightwear. The garment is often trimmed with lace, ruffles, bows and ribbons, optionally with spaghetti straps, and is sometimes made of sheer or translucent fabric such as nylon, chiffon or silk. The name is said to have been popularized by the 1956 film Baby Doll, starring Carroll Baker. This page explains the garment's construction and trims, the daywear babydoll dress of similar style, and how the form developed from the lace-trimmed bed-jackets of the 1930s and 1940s.
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A babydoll is a short nightgown or negligee intended as nightwear for a female. The garment is often trimmed with lace, ruffles, bows and ribbons, optionally with spaghetti straps. Sometimes it is made of sheer or translucent fabric like nylon or chiffon or silk.
It is said the name was popularized by the 1956 movie Baby Doll starring Carroll Baker in the title role, which essentially marked the beginning of the enduring popularity of the style for adults. At the same time, new synthetic fabrics and boutique retailing made the form both affordable and easy to purchase.
Short daywear dresses of a similar style are sometimes called babydoll dresses; the name is sometimes two words, baby doll, and sometimes hyphenated, baby-doll. Some styles are similar to what is worn by dolls in the form of infants, and by some infants; the gown is short enough that diapers are easily changed. Thus, it is a common garment for those who indulge in sexualized play-acting around ideas of infantilism. However, there may be an alternative origin for the style, if we consider the lineage of lace-trimmed shortie bed-jackets and bed-capes of the 1930s and 1940s.
It is now a highly eroticized item of adult apparel, often classified as a form of lingerie. When worn by an adult woman there is great contrast to when worn by an infant; the legs are fully displayed and some styles emphasize or deliberately expose the breasts as well. The gown is often sold as a set with panties as a typical babydoll is short enough that these are visible when it is worn with them. Styles of the same general length but not intended to emphasize sex appeal are sometimes called shortie nightgowns.
They are now available in a sufficiently
wide variety of styles that many
lingerie
retailers consider babydolls a distinct
department. Modern baby dolls often vary
considerably from the styles of the 1960s
and 70s. Baby doll negligees from the 1950s
to the early 1980s are now collectable items.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/babydoll ). Apparel Industry definition modified by Apparel Search 8/3/05 |
A babydoll is a short nightgown or negligee intended as nightwear, often trimmed with lace, ruffles, bows and ribbons, optionally with spaghetti straps, and sometimes made of sheer nylon, chiffon or silk.
The name is said to have been popularized by the 1956 film Baby Doll, starring Carroll Baker in the title role, which marked the beginning of the enduring popularity of the style.
Short daywear dresses of a similar style to the nightgown are sometimes called babydoll dresses. The name is also written as two words, baby doll, or hyphenated, baby-doll.