Is Empire Dress Flattering,What Body Type Looks Good in It? Dress Your Color The empire waist reshaped fashion in the early 19th century. It borrowed from classical antiquity and rejected the ridgid styles of the 18th century. While the fashion looked more relaxed, the Women's Empire Waist Dresses Nordstrom Modest Emerald Green Dress Emerald Green Satin Dress Modest Evening Gown Aeko Collection A Brief History of the Empire Waist