Black evening dress or formal gown, velvet maxi to midi

Start with the dress code on the card when you choose a black evening dress or a formal gown, since it tells you the hem before anything else. Most of ours are velvet, and its fine pile makes black look darker and richer than a flat fabric would. Lengths run from the floor up to just below the knee.

Floor-length for black tie and award nights

Does the card say black tie? Then the hem goes to the floor. We sew a velvet maxi with bare shoulders and long sleeves, so you can show your collarbones in February without freezing. The pile on that one is dense. Black stays deep even under dim evening lamps.

Another maxi has a slit on the leg and full sleeves, and it skips the shawl entirely. It won’t bounce glare back at a photographer, either. The slit opens when you step, so your heels matter. Pick pumps you’d happily show off.

A one-sleeve gown leaves the other shoulder bare. Skip the necklace there and let the asymmetry carry the look. Then there’s our floor-length style with a fitted body, a slit and bare shoulders, which we’d wear with the hair pulled back so the earrings show.

How long should the hem be? With your evening shoes on, it should clear the floor by a finger or so. Try the gown on at home in those exact shoes.

Midi gowns for the theater and formal dinners

Not every formal night needs a long skirt. A concert hall in winter, a gala dinner where you’ll sit most of the evening, a speech at an anniversary party all work with a midi. Our black velvet midi with a turtleneck collar feels as warm as a sweater under a coat, which makes sense at a concert or a business dinner in January. Earrings matter more than a necklace with that collar.

For a restaurant birthday or a photo shoot, we’d reach for the off-shoulder velvet midi. Its draping runs into a side slit, and the sleeves end above the wrist, so a slim bracelet or watch gets seen. Want sparkle instead? There’s a lurex knit midi with bare shoulders and a slit too.

All of these come in XS to XL. Compare floor lengths in our long black velvet, check what fits a black tie code, or see our evening gowns in every shade.