Wedding dress train lengths and dress hemlines explained

Dress lengths: where the hem falls

The hemline is the lower edge of a dress, measured from the floor, and it is the most changeable line in fashion. Lengths are named by the part of the leg where the hem lands. Definitions overlap from one source to another, so treat each name as a zone rather than a measurement:

Evening gowns are usually long; their shorter drops are ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankle) and tea length (above the ankle). A high-low hem is short at the front and dips at the back. For centuries, respectable Western dress hems stayed between floor and ankle; they rose to near the knee only between the late 1900s and the mid-1920s.

Which length for which occasion

Wedding dress train lengths

A train is the back of a skirt that trails behind the wearer. Bridal wear has its own names for each length, measured from the hem at the back of the dress:

A cathedral train is also called a monarch train. Two more shapes have names of their own: a Watteau train falls from pleated folds at the back of the shoulders, after the 18th-century sack-back gown, and a detachable train fastens on for the ceremony and comes off for the reception. Court dress was stricter still: the British court required a train of at least three yards.

Living with a train on the day

• Bustle it for the reception. Hooks, buttons or ribbons inside the skirt lift the train and fasten it at the back. Ask the person who alters the dress to add them, and practise with whoever will do it on the day.
• Or use a wrist loop. A small loop at the end of the train lets you carry it over the wrist while dancing.
• Plan the venue. A cathedral or royal cathedral train needs a long, clean aisle and someone to arrange it; outdoors, gravel and grass mark light fabrics.
• Match the veil. Veils have named lengths too; a chapel veil (about 90 in) sits naturally over a chapel train of 1.1–1.5 m (3.6–4.9 ft). See wedding accessories.