Dresses, Gowns and Skirts

Piece by piece, snip by snip
Croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip
Thread by thread, primmed and pressed
Yard by yard, never stressed
And that's the art of the dress!

Rarity, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Tropes about dresses (the modern sense, not including robes) and skirts, or having them as an integral part. To costume designers, few things have more potential for Costume Porn than a nice dress or skirt. Of course not all of them have to be fancy. Some can be plain, or even skimpy.

And it's considered one of the most prominent ways to tell men from women, with signs and symbols using a dress or skirt to tell that an abstract figure is male or female. It's also a major reason the trope Real Women Don't Wear Dresses has that name.

Also are more likely to be Doomed New Clothes than other kinds of garments.

These tropes will likely fall into Rule of Glamorous or Rule of Sexy.

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Tropes

Related:

• The Beautiful Tropes
• Bejeweled Tropes
• The Caped Index
• Coats and Jackets
• Femininity Tropes
• Luxury Tropes
• Mink Becomes This Index Most
• Princess Tropes
• These Tropes Are Made for Walking
• Tropes in Pants

• Action Dress Rip
  Even Kicking Ass in All Her Finery has its limits, so tear off those hobble skirts.
• Battle Ballgown
  A dress made for combat, and cotillions.
• Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress
  The dress is ruined, and that's the least of her problems.
• Dangerously Short Skirt
  Some skirts can have a panty shot without even trying.
• Elegant Gothic Lolita
  Who like old-timey frilly dresses.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress
  A classical dress for a bride to be a princess on her wedding.
• French Maid Outfit
  A black mini dress with a white apron.
• Frills of Justice
  Part of a magical girl's dress.
• Giant Poofy Sleeves
  Goes great with a dress.
• Girly Skirt Twirl
  Rule of Glamorous says ladies should twirl their new dresses.
• Happy Holidays Dress
  Tis the season for Costume Porn.
• Hates Wearing Dresses
  A female character who can't stand wearing dresses and skirts.
• Lady in Red
  A red dress makes the lady extra provocative.
• Lady Legionnaire Wear
  A skirt-like armor piece.
• Little Black Dress
  A simple, but fashionable, outfit.
• Lolita Fashion
  Those old-timey frilly dresses.
• Magic Skirt
  This skirt won't do a panty shot, no matter what.
• Man in a Kilt
  Because plain makes skirts okay.
• Mini Dress Of Power
  Because short dresses are easier to fight in than long dresses.
• Modesty Shorts
  These avoid panty shots with your skirt.
• Parachute Petticoat
  Somehow a skirt breaks a fall.
• Pimped-Out Dress
  Want to show off your wealth? Get a dress with loads of trimmings, and other expensive features.
• Proper Tights with a Skirt
  Legging can still go with a skirt.
• Qipao
  That distinctive Chinese dress.
• Sailor Fuku
  That distinctive Japanese schoolgirl uniform.
• Sexy Santa Dress
  Christmas is no time to leave out the fanservice.
• Showgirl Skirt
  A skirt that frames her beautiful legs, instead of hiding them.
• Simple, yet Opulent
  A dress doesn't have to be obviously fancy to be fancy.
• Skirts and Ladders
  Climbing a ladder has a high risk of a panty shot.
• Skirt over Slacks
  Pants can still be paired with a skirt.
• Tutu Fancy
  Fiction says a tutu can still have Costume Porn.
• Virgin in a White Dress
  Her dress color is symbolic of how easily it might get symbolically dirtied up.
• Zettai Ryouiki
  Long socks, a skirt, and the bare skin between.

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