I love the dropped-waist/skirt ruffle on these Betsy Johnson tops from her Alley Cat days. I always thought it was called a peblem waistline, but now I’m not sure.

 Scarlett’s Closet has a terrific reference page for fashion newbies.  Listed under “Waistline” are -

Antebellum - Dress has natural waistline that dips two inches to a point in the center front.

Basque (Bosk) - Waistline of dress is two inches below the natural waist; dipas to a point in the center front and back.

Curved Basque - Similar to Basque, though rounded at the center front. Also known as Antebellum.

Empire (Om Peer) - High waisted with short bodice. Skirt begins two or more inches above natural waist.

Peblum - Short flounce or overskirt attached at waistline.

Shirred (sherd) - Fabric is gathered to make a horizontal panel.

So I guess the Betsy Johnson waistline would be Curved Basque with a peblum.

But what I didn’t know is that the word peblum has an entirely different meaning. According to RocketJones -

Peblum, literally, is the short skirt worn by ancient gladiators, but it’s also used to describe a genre of movies. Although generically it refers to any heroic fantasy movie set in ancient times (Hercules, Atlas, Jason, etc.), specifically the term applies to the movies made in Italy during the 50’s and 60’s.

(Gladiator photo from IMDB)

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