Trains, Bustles, Skirts & Hemlines.
| Hem Length | Back | Skirt | Trains |
| Floor Handkerchief Hem Intermission Midi Mini Street Tea | Bustle Butterfly | Ballerina Bouffant Circular Flared Full Mermaid Slim Tiered Trumpet | Brush Cathedral Chapel Court Detached/Detachable Royal Sweep Watteau |
| Bouffant | Brush or Sweep Train | Bustle | Butterfly | |||
| The fullest skirt available. It makes your waist look very small. The bouffant is especially effective in Tulle or Duchesse. | Shortest train. It just sweeps or brushes the floor. Very effective on a slim fitting gown. | Very common in Victorian and Edwardian times, bustles are a pulling up and fastening of fabric at the back of a dress where the bodice meets the skirt. Many wedding gowns’ trains may be bustled, pulled up, so they are out of the way at the reception. See also, French Bustle. | At the back, large bow (hence, “butt bow”) or fabric flowers where the bodice meets the skirt. Often the bustle is formed just below. | |||
| Cathedral Train | Chapel Train | Circular Skirt | Detached/Detachable Train | |||
| Most typical train, it extends about 2 and half yards (about 7.5 feet) from the waistline. | Train which extends about one and a third yards (about 4 feet) from the waistline. | The hem on this skirt forms a circle and is not gathered at the waist. | Train of any length, which, instead of needing to be bustled, is removed by a series or snaps or buttons. | |||
| Flared Skirt | Floor Length | French Bustle | Full Skirt | |||
| A skirt which gradually gets larger from the waist to the floor. | A Floor length gowns allows the tips of your shoes to show. It may or may not have a train. | Very common in Victorian and Edwardian times, bustles are a pulling up and fastening of fabric at the back of a dress where the bodice meets the skirt. Many wedding gowns’ trains may be bustled, pulled up, so they are out of the way at the reception. A French Bustle is hooked from underneath, so that the bustled fabric lays on the outside. See also, Bustle.See also Underbustle | As the name implies, this is a full skirt gathered at the waist. It is fuller than a Circular Skirt but less full than a Bouffant. | |||
| Handkerchief Hem | Intermission Length or Midi Length | Mermaid or Trumpet Skirt | Mini | |||
 | ||||||
| A tea length skirt made of panels which end in points at the hem. | Also known as Midi Length, this skirt falls between the knee and mid-calf. | Also known as a Trumpet Skirt, this skirt is fitted at the hips and thighs then flares out from the knees. It may or may not have a train. It can be tricky to kneel or sit in this style. | This skirt ends above the knee. Some designs include detachable overskirts which may be removed for the reception. | |||
| Monarch or Royal Train | Ruffles | Sheath | Slim Skirt | |||
 |  | |||||
| Train that falls 3 yards (9 feet) or more from the waistline. Think Princess Diana. Also called a Royal Train. | Tiers of ruffles, usually of organza or chiffon, applied to the skirt, train or back of dress. | A close fitting gown. It can be difficult to kneel or sit in this style. | A skirt style which fits closely to the body without hugging. It should gently slide against the body, unlike the sheath which actually fits the figure closely. | |||
| Street Length | Tea Length | Tiered Skirt | Train | |||
 | ||||||
| Skirt length falls just below the knee. | A skirt ending mid-calf. | A skirt with layers of different length skirt fabrics layered upon each other. | A length of fabric usually attached at the waistline in back or part of the skirt which extends from the back of the gown. Train lengths include: Brush or Sweep, Chapel, Cathedral, Court, Cathedral or Watteau. Trains may be of the same fabric as the skirt or contrast. They may be Detachable. | |||
| Watteau | ||||||
| A train which extends from the shoulders. They are typically only attached and may be tricky to bustle. |
