According to the Heart, Cecelia has only one dress, which is worn to tatters. Given that neither she nor anyone else in the game ever wears a dress, I'm unclear how she managed to wear one out. Perhaps women's trousers are called dresses in the Dishonored universe?

I could be wrong, but I think Cecilia and Lydia get the standard 'female civilian' heart messages, instead of unique ones like Callista gets.

I think the dress refers to something nice to wear rather than their normal work clothes.

Yeah Cecelia and Lydia have the standard female civilians quotes from the Heart, just like Wallace has the standard male civilian message. Learning that he "spys on his neighbors and reports them to the Overseers" was quite...unexpected. Oh well, they didn't think of everything!

Yeah, I used the heart on Wallace when I first got it. The heart said that so I killed him. Mission failed.

Lol.

It also said that he eats well while his wife and child grow weak.

So I hated him until I found out the Heart didn't give him unique dialogue.

Also, why doesn't Cecelia get unique dialogue? She's interesting with having a high ranking relative within the City Guard (while being a maid herself) and being the caretaker of Emily.

That's Callista. Not Cecelia

Oh yeah, she doesn't get unique dialogue either.

Callista does get unique heart comments, actually.

It does. In Victorian London (which steampunk is based upon) a dress was a finer outfit that most middle-class people had only one of, and poor people often didn't have at all. To dress is originally "to adorn, align", i.e. not the same as how we use the word today simply to put clothes on.