Building on the momentum it has gained during the past few years, the one shoulder dress is appearing on runways from California and Milan to Paris and Pakistan. The recently unveiled Spring and Summer 2012 collections by up-and-coming and well-known designers feature a variety of one shoulder styles, from soft and fluttery to tailored and boxy.

The classic one shoulder dress is now available in such a wide variety of styles, colors and patterns that you probably already have at least one or two items hanging in your closet. Spring and summer fashions will feature feminine lace and floral prints, offered in soft neutrals, as well as boxy necklines and bold cutout bodices, which will most likely be available in either vibrant hues or traditional black-and-white color schemes. Solids, color blocking, strips and geometric prints are also being experimented with, injecting a little more fun into the classic trend.

Historical Evolution
Grecian women as well as men are credited with creating the first one shoulder dresses. Known widely as a toga or goddess dress, the signature style consists of draped fabric with a one shoulder neckline. It is typically cinched at the waistline with a belt or drawn in at the bustline.

Among the Greeks, the free-falling garment was either knee-length for men or floor-length for women. Togas eventually transitioned into sleeveless stolas, which were similarly long, draped dresses made of silk or cotton. The distinctive difference was that the shoulder seam was sewn instead of being tied or fastened with a piece of jewelry. The one shoulder dress was adopted by many other ancient cultures who lived nearby, including the Babylonians, Assyrians and Cretans, as its lightweight style was a perfect fit for the scorching temperatures of the Middle East.

Although the style enjoyed brief moments of popularity, the one shoulder dress largely disappeared from the fashion world for several centuries while the European-inspired Victorian Era dictated a more modest preference for womens dresses. Then, as social norms began to relax in the 1920s, particularly in the United States, form-fitting dresses once again became popular. Along with the halter-style flapper dresses, empire silhouettes and one shoulder dresses were among the most in-demand styles.

Since then, the one shoulder dress has enjoyed a series of revivals, popping up in various fashion trends throughout the decades. The vibrant one shoulder dresses of the 1980s serve as a strong inspiration for the trends that are currently being featured on runways, modeled in fashion magazines, appear on red carpets and sold at department stores. One notable exception is the replacement of the then-popular, form-fitting lycra.

» Go to Part 2: Modern Trends

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