Should women wear sack dresses?

I was reading a favorite Archie comic of mine and one of stories asked the age-old question: Can (or should) women wear the sack dress? The story goes like this (and damn I wish I could get a scan of it. I need to fix my scanner asap): Betty is asked by a clothing store owner whether she would model his clothes. Betty initially refuses but upon seeing Veronica (that rich bitch!) in designer duds, she runs back to the store and says she will wear anything. Unfortunately, the store owner doesn't give her a clingy dress but a sack dress. Betty is mortified but the owner says the clothes will be a hit. Betty goes to Riverdale High in the sack dress and gets humiliated. A random reporter picks up on the trend and runs Betty's photo in the local paper. Then all the high school girls go ape shit and all buy sack dresses so their wardrobes will be up-to-date. When Betty goes back to the store to pick up a free dress she was promised, the owner sadly tells her that they are all sold out. Poor Betty. She can never catch a break. And it's the Prom! But Betty has one trick up her sleeve. She buys a clingy green dress that shows off her 16-year-old curves and grabs the attention of all the boys, while the other girls are ignored in their sack dresses. The lesson? Wear clothes that fit you and show off your body. Sack dresses make you look like, well, sacks, and won't attract the attention of boys.

Sorry that was a bit long. Now I agree that plain sack dresses can look bulky if worn incorrectly but if worn with some imagination (ie with a belt) then they can look amazing. Just add embellishments like costume jewelery, a silk scarf around the waist, knee-high boots, etc. Anything that will give you shape can turn a sack dress from fat to fabulous.

Here are some fashionable sacks from the runway:

Burberry Prorsum


Maurizio Pecoraro


Francesco Scognamiglio
Giambattista Valli

Armand Basi