How To Wear A Train With Everyday Outfits (Because They're Not Just For Weddings)

Centuries ago, during the medieval era, before the global connection and ease of international trade made increasingly seamless due to transportation advancements paired with the ability to ship items internationally, there was a way that families exhibited their wealth to those in their community that continued as a tradition in modern times. The established convention is that of bridal gowns having trains, which served to visualize a family's luxury and ability to afford, obtain, and craft a wedding dress made from extensively long fabric for the upper echelons of society, reports Brides. The longer the bridal train on a gown, the more stature a family was said to carry because they were able to make such a long exhibition — literally.

In today's world, it's up to a bride to choose the dress which best fits their comfort, confidence, and preferences. Trains on wedding dresses no longer symbolize significance, except for the pomp and circumstance of royal weddings, which don't shy away from trains, as both Meghan Markle and Princess Diana tied the record length of wedding trains on their respective gowns at 25 feet each! Kate Middleton, the present Princess of Wales, had a train of — ahem — merely 9 feet long in comparison, though the average non-royal bridal gown with a train falls between a foot and 18 inches long, says Cizzy Bridal Australia. With most bridal trains no longer symbolizing stature, fashion is exploring innovative ways to wear trains outside of walking down the aisle, such as with a skirt.

During the lockdown periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, there emerged an indulgence in dressing up simply because it was fun to do, and you'd want to wear beautiful clothes stored away in your closet for most of the year. Yahoo Life reveals that ballgowns and elegant finery became popular to adorn at home. This is your sign to put on a scintillating gown with the train of your choice and lean into living your best life because, well, you can. Why not?!

In the summer heat, a romper's shorts accommodate weather-appropriate apparel, and the train serves purposes spanning sophisticated styling to standing in for a fan as the train's whimsically light fabric billows in the wind. Paired with casual footwear during the day and heels at night, rompers with trains go great with trainers and are beyond easy to transition across dress codes.

Royalcore, mermaidcore, cottagecore, galore. These trends are your invitations to dress in fantasy ensembles you've dreamt of wearing, like princess-style gowns with trains trailing behind you. Royalcore is especially skilled at extending warm welcomes to dresses with long trains and quintessential queen-worthy ball gowns, says Screenshot. Don't forget your crown and jeweled accouterments. With Barbiecore taking the spotlight, enjoy your own pretty-in-pink moment with fancy frocks in rosy shades that make you feel as brilliantly confident as Barbie herself.

Should you be more conservative in your closet choices but still want to enjoy a glamorous time in finery with elaborate trains, the side train is your answer to practical purchases. Frequently designed as complementary pairings to short dresses with hemlines that typically reach mid-thigh, though varying lengths are available, side trains are means for creating instant sophistication and a stunning draw to the person wearing the voguish style. Side trains are perfect for nights out, as wedding guest attire, and espousing practical, polished luxury. 

For some adventurous apparel endeavors, adorn an asymmetrical dress with a flowing train sewn on the back of the dress or to one side. The abstract style proves there's no such thing as too many different angles, cuts, or combinations in one garment. Commenting on the timeless tone of eye-catching elements, Elegantgene confirms that asymmetrical dresses have always been — and will always be — in style, transcending fashion eras and coming out on the other side just as chic and striking as ever. 

Dresses with trains are usually associated with upscale events, but you don't have to go to a black tie event to wear the fashion. As smocked garments enter mainstream popularity, loose-fitting, free-flowing cotton dresses with trains in the form of bows are bouncing into the trendsetting territory, too. Large bows tied at the back of casual frocks have long tails, which provide whimsically large bow aesthetics alongside two long wind-blown tails-turned-trains as you seek adventures and fun in your low-maintenance, extremely comfortable train attire. Bow to the bow for brilliant train trends.

To be on the cutting edge of fashion, you must be willing to courageously try new styles, outfit selections, and experimental innovations with various garments. Leading with confidence and self-assurance, invent your own train for a statement-making style, such as wrapping a chiffon scarf or sarong across your waist so that a train hangs to the side or behind you or draping raiment over your shoulders for a shoulder-to-floor DIY train. Trains on matching sets, skirts, pantsuits, and rompers are emerging in popular mode, so join in on the cultivation of creativity.

Being able to infuse creativity into your style and exploring ensembles outside of your current personal flair is perhaps the most effective and exciting way to hone your eye for design and move into your next fashion era with refined elegance and chic trains trailing behind you. Similar to asymmetrical dresses, skirts with angled, abstract hemlines are ideal for innovating finesse, as are opposing high-low hemlines sewn with singular circular seams, patterns from the Victorian era which remain voguish today, per Vintage Dancer. Time to enter your new era.