noun
polonaise
A style of dress with a draped overskirt.
The mannequin wears a polonaise with its overskirt gathered into folds.
Etymology
The French adjective means Polish. Fashion used the national-style label for a dress arrangement with a gathered or draped overskirt.
More examples
- She chooses a silk polonaise for the historical costume exhibit.
- The polonaise reveals the petticoat beneath its draped overskirt.
- The museum displays two polonaises beside other eighteenth-century dresses.
Forms
polonaise · polonaises
Similar words
- overdress
- Any dress worn over another, not necessarily with draping.
- gown
- A broader dress term that does not specify a draped overskirt.