I’ve wandered the world and have never found
A work of art such as a tiered gown
—Lord Byron
OK, we just made that up, but we can’t help it! Tiers—overlapping layers of fabric—move us to poetry. Whether ruffled, ruched or fringed, on a miniskirt or a ball gown, tiers are dynamic and timeless. And now they're making a comeback in a big way—though really, tiered gowns, dresses and skirts have been popular for as long as women have wished to look elegant while twirling.
Tiered gowns originated during the Victorian era, romantic and elaborate in their design. Tiered petticoats under tiered gowns provided a full, voluminous look, as visible in James Tissot’s 1873 painting “Too Early” and Monet’s 1866 “Women in the Garden.” Despite their complex construction, the tiered dresses in these paintings still manage to emphasize movement, lightness and femininity. As time rolled by, morals loosened and hemlines shortened. Fast-forward to the flapper generation, when movement was further emphasized with acres of bugle beads and bauble strands. Oh, those bright young things with their booze and their jazz, doing the Charleston into the wee morning hours with knee-length dresses dancing wildly along.
The dichotomy between the austere Victorians and the bobbed flappers illustrates just how versatile tiers are. They manage to convey both softness and sensuality, which has no doubt attributed to the style’s longevity in this cruel, trend-a-minute world we call "fashion." The ’60s and ’70s took tiers to a different place altogether—a comfy place—with variably named gypsy/hippie/peasant skirts. These long, flowy numbers were the ultimate in comfort, perfect for flower children, who—like many women before them—used their tiers to twirl. But where those women might have danced to Bach or the Duke, these women danced to Hendrix and the Who. And Tina. Let’s not forget Ms. Turner, who made fringed tiers sexy in her thigh-length flapper dresses as she rolled on down the river.
The gypsy skirt, as you may begrudgingly remember, returned to prominence during the unfortunate boho-chic trend a few years ago. The trend proposed that comfort and style are not mutually exclusive—what better way to evince that than with tiers? Recently, tiered dressing has become elegant again. Take for instance Reese Witherspoon’s triumphant asymmetrical tiered Nina Ricci gown from last year’s Academy Awards. Or Georgina Chapman’s tiered wedding gown, designed by Chapman herself for her marriage to Harvey Weinstein in December. And who could forget Ms. Dita Von Teese's show-stopping red carpet entrance at this year's Vienna Opera Ball, wearing a gray off-the-shoulder floor-length gown with tiers that went on as far as the eye could see. Largely influential in this coming season’s tiered look is Christopher Kane’s wonderful spring 2008 collection. Kane and his sister Tammy paraded tiers in nearly all of the 35 looks from their most recent collection. While still very feminine, the dresses and skirts displayed a toughness not usually associated with tiers, suggesting perhaps that girls will no longer simply twirl, but might just teach you a lesson if you step out of line.
For those looking to get a lot of material for a little money, try Charlotte Russe or Forever 21. For those with a little more money to spend, try H&M or BeBe; the latter recently featured many tiered gowns in its spring 2008 collection, now available in stores. Finally, for top tier shopping destinations, go with the Paper Bag Princess or Decades and Decades Two.
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