Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres depicts the Comtesse d'Haussonville, wearing a dress. A dress (also frock, gown) is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment. In Western culture, dresses are usually considered women's clothing. The hemline dresses can be as high as the upper thigh or as low as the ground, depending on the whims of fashion and the modesty or personal taste of the wearer.