History Main / EtherealWhiteDress

* Music/{{Nightwish}}:

* In Music/{{Genesis}}' RockOpera ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway'', there's a character called "Lilywhite Lilith" who falls into this trope. It's implied that she's not even human, but rather some kind of cave creature.

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* The Ghost of Resurrection Cemetery - Justice, Illinois, USA. Supposedly the spirit of a young lady killed in the 1930s, who always appears dressed for a white dress party. When offered a ride she usually asks to be dropped off at the cemetery on Archer Road. When they get closer, however, she disappears. This, incidentally, has happened for decades and often still does, especially with people who are not from the city and do not know the story of Mary, as she is called.
* Princesses of TheFairFolk often come in this form. They do not always have the protagonist's best interest in mind.
* La Llorona, a Mexican myth about a crying ghost, is also called this. Just about every Spanish-speaking country has mythology related to La Llorona, even Spain. Generally speaking, though, the story is usually the same: she was a beautiful young mistress who tried to permanently win the heart of the man she loved by [[OffingTheOffspring drowning her own children]] because she knew [[SingleParentsAreUndesirable he wasn't all that fond of kids]]. It wasn't until he called her out on it that she [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized how horrifying her actions were]] and promptly drowned herself in an effort to find her children. Naturally, she's a ghost said to haunt riversides calling for her children.
* There is another myth about white-dressed women, it's about the Mulher de Branco (it means exactly the trope name), in Brazilian North / Northeast. She is the ghost of a bride that died (mostly killed) before entering the church to marry, and now, searches for her groom near the place she died, usually in a dark, creepy forest. If she finds a man she thinks is like her groom, she takes him to the world of dead with her... Unless said man runs like hell, which they promptly do.
* A more recent one was "la rubia de Kennedy" ("blonde woman of Kennedy Avenue"). In TheSeventies, a young Chilean woman named Martha Infante died in an accident in said Avenue, and for several years, her ghost supposedly haunted the corner where she perished. The "ghost" was a blonde girl wearing a white coat who would ask for a ride, then tell the driver 'please don't drive so fast' and vanish.
* Newark, NJ has a local legend about a lady in white haunting Branch Brook Park. Story goes that a car accident killed a girl while her boyfriend/fiance/husband/prom date was driving and she haunts the place to this day.
* The standard description for female ghosts in the Philippines is a woman all in [[StringyHairedGhostGirl white with long black hair that obscures her face]]. Often believed to be virginal and the subject of a violent death (probably rape), she's commonly known as a "White Lady". It has been the subject of many horror films, including one appropriately entitled ''White Lady''.
* In Oberlin, Ohio, there is a story of a woman in white that haunts the lake in a local park.
* In Bohemia, there's the legend of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady White Lady]], the ghost of [[http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta_z_Ro%C5%BEmberka Perchta of Rožmberk]].
* In the Netherlands, there are legends of Witte Wieven, "White Women". They're spirits of women who were kidnapped by other Witte Wieven. Depending on where the story is set, they're either AlwaysChaoticEvil or just want to be left alone. A version of the tale tells of a drunk farmer walking home through the forest when he meets a woman dressed in white, and he asks her to dance. Which she does, all night long, until daybreak rolls around and the farmer drops dead at her feet.
[[/folder]]

* In the concept album Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway, there's a character called "Lilywhite Lilith" who falls into this trope. It's implied that she's not even human, but rather some kind of cave creature.

* The original UK video for "Wuthering Heights" by Music/KateBush featured Bush dancing in a smoke-filled room wearing a white dress alluding to the song being based on the section of ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' where Catherine's ghost haunts Heathcliffe.

* ''Literature/TheWomanInWhite'' is the title of Creator/WilkieCollins's {{Victorian|London}} [[MysteryFiction mystery novel]], the plot of which revolves around a mysterious woman in white.

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', the [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels Jedi Knight Arren Kae]] was believed to be long dead, with her only legacy left to her daughter [[spoiler: Brianna]] being her ornate white Jedi robe. [[spoiler: According to ShrugOfGod she's NotQuiteDead, [[EvilMentor and has been with the Exile's party the entire time]].]]

** In the ''Of Dungeons and Dragons'' arc of the sequel, one of the [[EnthrallingSiren Undines]] appears in this form. Considering that Undines like luring people to their deaths by drowning, Harry is careful not to be taken in - though he doesn't miss that the entity in question at least appears to be an attractive young woman in [[SexySoakedShirt a wet dress]] that's implied to be VaporWear.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'':

* Princesses of TheFairFolk often come in this form. They [[{{Understatement}} do not always]] have the protagonist's best interest in mind.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakutou, Sode no Shirayuki, is a pure white blade and possesses powers over snow and ice. Rukia's sword and power is based on the legend of the yuki-onna, the ghostly 'snow woman'. Her Bankai activation transforms her into the snow-woman of legend: her hair becomes white, her skin icy and her dress snow-white. The world around her transforms into one of snow and ice, and she becomes a detached, mystical being that is possessed by an otherworldly beauty. In anime filler, her Zanpakuto Spirit is introduced long before her Bankai reveal and acts as foreshadowing: the spirit is a woman with white hair, very pale skin and a snow-white kimono; she is quiet, well-mannered even when rebelling, is portrayed in a detached, mystical manner, and also possessed by an otherworldly beauty. Any female [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Arrancar]] who wears a white dress or robe would also qualify.

* After her death in ''New X-Men'', ComicBook/JeanGrey ended up {{ascend|ToAHigherPlaneOfExistence}}ing to the White Hot Room as the White Phoenix of the Crown, doing things like repairing galaxies. During that time, she usually appeared in a white dress or [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine white and gold]] variation on the Phoenix suit (this was actually the original design for the Phoenix costume, until it was realised that the printing standards of the time just meant that text and colour on the other side of the page would be seen through it).

* In ''Film/CurseOfTheUndead'', the blonde Delores--who is being fed upon by the vapire Drake Robey--is clad I a flowing white nightgown when she responds to Robey's mental summons and sleepwalks into the garden.

* The elvish queen in ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'' wears a long white gown, and makes a mysterious, striking impression. Together with her pallor, light hair, serenity and classical beauty, she reminds protagonist Marcus of some impossibly perfect statue of the ancient heathen gods somehow come to life.

* Music/AkikoShikata poses in a white dress in most of her album covers. Quite fitting for the atmosphere of said albums, where there are a lot of songs about nature and magic. On the cover of ''Turaida'', she even holds a white instrument.

* An unusual male example occurs in ''[[LetsPlay/DreamSMP Tales From the SMP]]'', where many mysterious incarnations of Karl Jacobs are found to be wandering the Courtyard of the Inbetween, the [[GeniusLoci sentient hub world and dimension]] for Karl's time travelling adventures. They all wear the white and gray version of Karl's outfit characteristic of being of the Inbetween. What classifies them as this trope is that [[spoiler:these alternate versions of Karl have all succumbed to LossOfIdentity from staying in and wandering [[LightIsNotGood the Inbetween]], and are [[FateWorseThanDeath doomed to traverse the dimension for the rest of time]], as their loved ones wait for a man who would never come home]].

* Mary Queen of Scots was famous for her frequent use of white within her wardrobe. This is thought to be in part because she was often in mourning for either her father in law, mother, husband or second husband, and in part that she looked very good in white (and apparently wanted to marry her first husband Francis in it, during a time when white was not commonly worn in weddings, red being the preferred choice, long before she entered her period of mourning).

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', there's a ghost lady in white haunting the Annan River.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', the Geisterdamen (German for "ghost maiden") are a race of female monsters (it's not mentioned how they reproduce) who are entirely white, including hair, skin, and clothing.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Lapse}}'' there is a ghost who, because the main character doesn't know her name, is just referred to as The Girl in White.
* In ''Webcomic/AgentsOfTheRealm'', Filoni appears in white dress in Norah's dreams and what happened to her to change her from {{Red Oni|BlueOni}} into scared and worried dream vision is still a mystery.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Rhapsodies}}'', Deidre the {{psychopomp}} dresses in all-white outfits when on duty.

* In ''Film/DeadEnd'', a mysterious woman in a white dress repeatedly appears to a family lost in the woods on vacation.

* Merlynn's usual appearance in ''Series/AmericanGothic''. It's the dress she died in.

* The standard description for female ghosts in the Philippines is a woman all in [[StringyHairedGhostGirl white with long black hair that obscures her face]]. Often believed to be virginal and the subject of a violent death (probably rape), she's commonly known as a "White Lady". It has been the subject of many horror films, including a recent one appropriately entitled ''White Lady''.

* In the Netherlands, there are legends of Witte Wieven, "White Women". They're spirits of women who were kidnapped by other Witte Wieven. Depending on where the story is set, they're either AlwaysChaoticEvil or just want to be left alone. A version of the tale this city girl was told tells of a drunk farmer walking home through the forest when he meets a woman dressed in white, and he asks her to dance. Which she does, all night long, until daybreak rolls around and the farmer drops dead at her feet.

Compare MysticalWhiteHair, ProphetEyes, and PsychicPowers, which have similar connotations of "a connection to the otherworldly" for a character. Contrast WhiteShirtOfDeath, where dressing in white foreshadows an imminent death. In this trope, the white-clothed character has [[PosthumousCharacter already]] [[BackFromTheDead died]], at least metaphorically.

* After her death in ''New X-Men'', ComicBook/JeanGrey ended up [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascending]] to the White Hot Room as the White Phoenix of the Crown, doing things like repairing galaxies. During that time, she usually appeared in a white dress or [[WhiteAndGoldAreDivine white and gold]] variation on the Phoenix suit (this was actually the original design for the Phoenix costume, until it was realised that the printing standards of the time just meant that text and colour on the other side of the page would be seen through it).

* ''Literature/TheWomanInWhite'' is the title of Creator/WilkieCollins's [[VictorianLondon Victorian]] [[MysteryFiction mystery novel]], the plot of which revolves around a mysterious woman in white.

* In the music video for "Diary of Jane" by Music/BreakingBenjamin, the titular Jane wears a white dress. [[spoiler:She was DeadAllAlong]].

* Many adaptations of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' depict Ophelia (yep, [[TheOphelia that]] [[TropeNamer one]]) wearing a flowing white gown after she loses her mind from grief, highlighting both her innocence and how she's mentally 'checked out' of the world following her TraumaCongaLine, including her father being accidentally murdered by the man she loves. She wanders around the countryside, singing and gathering flowers, and eventually drowns; it's strongly implied it may have been [[DrivenToSuicide deliberate]].

* The ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' games show most of their VirginSacrifice [[BigBad Big Bads]] in white kimono. Exceptions are [[VideoGame/FatalFrameIVMaskOfTheLunarEclipse Sakuya]], who is the most colored villain by wearing a deep red kimono, and [[VideoGame/FatalFrameII Sae]], whose white kimono is splattered with blood, and [[VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater Ose]], whose kimono became dark when tainted by the Black Water, but is shown wearing a white bridal kimono prior to her ritual.