Hello Josh,



	As you've seen in the Nomenclature, gowns are typically considered a type of dress. In this case both are likely to refer to clothing worn by a woman. That being said a dress in not necessarily a gown. Kind of like fingers and thumbs; all thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Gowns are typically more formal, heavier, higher quality or fancier materials, and more detailed design elements. Dresses are often lighter, more multi-purpose, and utilitarian. You would wear a dress to work or shopping but a gown would be worn to a wedding or special event. You're likely to come across some items that seem to fall in a grey area in between the two but it may come down to the decision of the cataloguer when the item is being processed.



	To complicate things a dress and gown can have other meanings and gown specifically can refer to other types such as a graduation gown or judge's robes.



	Hopefully this helps to clear it up a bit.



William Shepherd

Collections Officer

Swift Current Museum

44 Robert Street West

Swift Current, Saskatchewan

S9H 4M9

Phone: 306-778-4815

Fax: 306-778-4818



Archives: http://sain.scaa.sk.ca/collections/swift-current-museum

Library: https://www.librarything.com/profile/SwiftCurrentMuseum 

Website: http://www.swiftcurrent.ca



-----Original Message-----

From: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Josh Jordan

Sent: August 1, 2018 8:45 AM

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Dress Nomenclature



I have a question regarding how institutions differentiate between a "dress" and a "gown" in their catalogs.  Does it have to do with the material it is made from?  Is it the event the garment would be worn to?  What criteria is used?  I did see in Chenhall's Nomenclature that a gown is a type of dress.



Want to know how institutions in the field define the terms.



Thanks     



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