Cousin of the much maligned sack dress, the shift dress signified a shift in cultural direction and the coming sexual revolution.  No longer forced into the confines of cinched dresses, women were free to dance the night away in the shift, helping to make the dress one of the most enduring female looks in modern fashion history.

It was time for a revolution, and the shift dress allowed women of all shapes and sizes to feel comfortable in the most fashionable way possible.  Though it wasn’t tight, most shifts keep silhouettes looking slender, a boon to women everywhere and of every shape and size.  As the look found increasing popularity throughout the Sixties, thanks to a little help in the form of Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn, daughters everywhere scavenged their grandmothers’ closets for their vintage shifts from the 20s.  The look was perfect for the twists and almost acrobatic turns on the dance floor during the 60s.  Plus, if it was good enough for the Charleston, Chubby Checker’s Twist would probably be just fine in it, too.

The design of the shift went straight down from the shoulders.  Just a couple of bust darts and that’s about it; shift dresses were meant to skim the body.  Traditionally, a shift has parallel side seams, though many a young lady came to prefer A-line cuts for a little more femininity.  The shift dress was the Everywoman dress for so many reasons.  One of the best things about the shift, aside from its wonderful wearability, was how easy it was to sew together.  And even if sewing wasn’t your forte, if you bought the materials, it was likely someone else could piece one together using a pattern. 

With freedom came a future for women that didn’t necessitate hourglass figures for tight-fitting dresses.  It was a freedom from constriction through proper dress construction.  It’s no wonder that no matter the variation, from A-line to H-line – even empire waist-lines – the shift has remained one of the most flattering styles of all time.