Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A jumper dress or simply jumper — British English: pinafore dress, pinafore, pinny — is a sleeveless, collarless dress intended to be worn over a blouse or sweater. There is sometimes confusion over the name, as in British English, a jumper is a woollen sweater. A sundress is sleeveless like a jumper dress; however, the former is intended to be worn without a layering blouse in hot weather, while the latter may be worn during any time of year. This page explains the jumper dress, its layering purpose, and how the term differs from the sundress and the apron dress.
A sundress is sleeveless like a jumper dress. However, the former is intended to be worn without a layering blouse in hot weather, while the latter may be worn during any time of year.
The distinction between a jumper dress and an apron dress is less clear cut and in some cases either term is correct. If the design of the dress is directly inspired by an apron, the garment should be referred to as an apron dress.
See also Clothing.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jumper_dress). 11/13/04 |
The jumper dress is defined by what goes under it. Sleeveless and collarless, with a neckline and armholes cut to clear the garment beneath, it is a shell dress: the blouse or sweater supplies the sleeves, the collar interest and much of the colour, while the jumper supplies the silhouette and the fabric weight. That is why jumper dresses are traditionally made in substantial fabrics — wool, corduroy and other dress-weight cloth that would be too warm as a sleeved dress in an overheated room is comfortable in a sleeveless layer over a blouse. One jumper worn over different blouses and sweaters gives several outfits, which made the style a wardrobe staple and a standard school and work dress form under its British name, the pinafore dress.
The naming traps are real, and this definition exists largely to separate them. In American usage the jumper is the sleeveless dress; in British usage a jumper is a knitted woollen sweater, and the same dress is a pinafore dress, shortened in everyday speech to pinafore or pinny — a name it shares with the protective apron-like garment it descends from. The apron connection is the third term: a dress directly inspired by an apron is an apron dress, while a jumper dress takes the over-dress form without necessarily copying an apron. And the sundress, the nearest summer neighbour, shares the sleeveless cut but not the layering: it is a complete dress worn alone in hot weather, where the jumper dress, blouse included, belongs to any season of the year.
A jumper dress or simply jumper, British English pinafore dress, pinafore or pinny, is a sleeveless, collarless dress intended to be worn over a blouse or sweater.
A sundress is sleeveless like a jumper dress, but it is intended to be worn without a layering blouse in hot weather. A jumper dress is intended to be worn over a blouse or sweater and may be worn during any time of year.
The distinction between a jumper dress and an apron dress is less clear cut and in some cases either term is correct. If the design of the dress is directly inspired by an apron, the garment should be referred to as an apron dress.