A bodice is the fitted upper part of a dress that covers a person's chest and torso, ending at the waist. Think of it as the top half of a dress before the skirt begins. In historical clothing, especially from the 1600s through the 1800s, the bodice was often a separate piece that laced or buttoned up, sometimes quite tightly.

You'll see bodices in illustrations of fairy tales and historical novels set in earlier centuries. Cinderella's ball gown has an elegant bodice. Colonial dresses and Victorian gowns featured structured bodices that helped give dresses their distinctive shapes. Many traditional folk costumes from around the world include decorative bodices as well.

Modern dresses still have bodices, though they're usually built right into the dress rather than being separate pieces. When someone describes a dress, they might say it has a “fitted bodice” or a “beaded bodice,” referring to how that upper section looks and feels. The bodice is where dressmakers often put the most detailed work, with buttons, embroidery, or special fabric, since it's the part people see most easily.