Dreamed up way back in 1804, the empire dress quickly became a favourite of the Empress Josephine. It has had its ups and downs since then. It was everywhere at the recent Cannes film festival. It’s here now, too. Not every figure is cut out for it

Every now and then a style comes along that makes total sense for its time. Think of material-saving knee-length dresses during the Second World War and Space-Age styles of the 1960s as just two examples.

So it was with the empire dress. This feminine style first appeared in 1804. It was created by French tailor Leroy, who immediately became a favourite of France’s Empress Josephine, the wife of Napoleon.

The dress’s key defining feature was its waist, which Leroy moved upward from the wearer’s natural waistline to fit snugly under her breasts. The skirt fell straight to the ankles, skimming corseted hips and making the true waist disappear. Other features of early empire gowns were puffed sleeves and a deeply rounded or square neckline that showed off cleavage.

The simple style was not exactly in keeping with Napoleon’s grandiose plan to restore the splendour of Versailles that had been eradicated by the French Revolution. But it was still a step up from the flimsy robe de chemise commonly worn during the Revolution to prove one was not an aristocrat (and thus save oneself from the guillotine).

The empire was made of heavier fabric and was more richly adorned and more figure-enhancing than the simple chemise. And it was cheaper to produce than the elaborate, hoop-skirted dresses that predated the Revolution, a fact that suited the economically depressed times that followed it.

The style’s popularity was evident in its rapid adoption by women throughout Europe. The heroines of Jane Austen’s novels, for example, wore empires.

But after Napoleon was exiled in 1815, the comfortable, free styling of the empire began to fall out of favour. Most women started wearing dresses with the waist returned to its natural position, and skirts - supported by ever-more cinched corsets and crinolines - got bigger.

The empire style languished until the early 20th century, when a loose, natural silhouette gained currency for a short time. It enjoyed another brief revival in the 1960s, when Swinging London designers adopted it. In Grade 9 in 1965, I had a mini blue gingham and white eyelet empire that I still remember with fondness.

Still, it’s not a look I would wear today, even though you’ll see empire tops and dresses in all the shops right now (a reflection of our current ’60s fascination, says Style.com).

And if I needed any reminding why it’s a silhouette only a few women can wear, I had to look no farther than the 59th Cannes Film Festival last month.

At least eight actresses crossed the red carpet in dresses that cascaded from the bust, and all but a couple looked - to put it kindly - pregnant.

In the case of Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Southland Tales), there was rampant online speculation that she actually might be expecting, although in most photographs it was apparent her "bump" was just her voluminous Vera Wang dress and not her belly.

Then there was Chloe Sevigny (Babel), who is almost as famous for being a clotheshorse as an actress. Sevigny looked ready for bed in her puffy-skirted black dress with a beaded bodice.

British actress Miranda Richardson (Paris je t’aime) looked sloppy in a strappy number that badly needed a body-shaping corset. Even tiny Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code) looked like she’d lost her way to the beach.

Only a couple of actresses did it right - statuesque Rebecca Romijn (X-Men: The Last Stand) in a one-shoulder sparkler whose skirt hugged her trim figure, and Helena Bonham Carter (a Cannes jury member), whose petiteness got added height from the long skirt. Carter wisely made sure the extra fabric puddled at her feet and not her middle.

Now, most women I know don’t want to wear clothes that add pounds. Most of these actresses are rake-thin.

And most of them still looked fat.

Think twice before you buy an empire dress - unless, of course, you are pregnant. In that case, it makes total sense for the times.