In terms of female attire, what is the difference between a frock, a dress and a gown?

'Originally, a frock was a loose, long garment with wide, full sleeves, such as the habit of a monk or priest, commonly belted. (This is the origin of the modern term defrock or unfrock, meaning "to eject from the priesthood"). ... The term has been continually applied to various types of clothing, generally denoting a loosely fitted garment. ... Frock (especially in the phrase "short frock") is also a child's dress or light overdress.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frock

Frock: a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/-frocked


some definitions for gown:
1. A long loose flowing garment, such as a robe or nightgown.
2. A long, usually formal dress for a woman.
3. A woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gown

definition of dress:
a one-piece garment for a woman, consisting of a skirt and bodice

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dress

SO
Frock and dress seem to be virtually synonymous, although frock has a distinctly old-fashioned sound to my ear (but when I arrived in Australia, it was definitely the common word to describe this type of garment). A gown can be either very informal, as in nightgown, or very formal.

Ta. I've wondered for a while...

More:

The difference between a dress and a gown is largely one of semantics and personal preference. Gown tends to refer to more formal dresses, like those worn for weddings, proms or balls. A dress can be any one-piece garment with a skirt of any length, and can be either formal or informal. While many gowns are referred to as dresses, like wedding dress and prom dress, you seldom hear less formal dresses referred to as gowns. For example a sundress is never a sungown.

Another related term to gown is frock. A frock may also be a less formal dress, but may also be an evening or formal gown. The word "frock" is more popular in the UK than in the US for referring to any one-piece garment with a skirt.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-dress-and-a-gown.htm