Depending on design dresses are classified. Different basic dress shapes are:
Shirtwaist, a dress with a bodice like a tailored shirt and an attached straight or full skirt
Sheath, a fitted, often sleeveless dress, often without a waistseam
Shift, a straight dress with no waist shaping or seam
Sundress is an informal sleeveless dress of any shape in a lightweight fabric, for summer wear.
Tent, a dress flared from above the bust, sometimes with a yoke Maxi dress, a long, formfitting, floor or ankle length dress.
Wrap dress, a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other and knotting the attached ties on the side, or fastening buttons. This forms a V-shaped neckline and hugs a woman's curves. A faux wrap dress resembles this design, except that it comes already fastened together with no opening in front, but instead is slipped on over the head.
Jumper dress or Pinafore dress is a sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a layering top or blouse. Jumper dresses exist for both summer and winter wear.