Black maxi dresses in deep velvet for evening events

Start with the shoulder line

That’s the part people see across a dinner table, so it’s worth deciding first. The off-shoulder maxi bares your collarbones and still has long sleeves. No shawl needed.

Another one keeps a single sleeve and leaves the other shoulder open. With that cut you won’t want anything around your neck, and a low knot at the nape is plenty. Going to your daughter’s prom? The one-sleeve black maxi dress works for a mom as well as it does for the graduate.

We also sew a floor-length gown with a boat neck. It shows the collarbones and nothing more. Long sleeves again, plus a slit on the leg. We’d send you to a work party or a restaurant with an evening dress code in this one.

The slit, the heels and the coat check

Stand still and the slit stays closed. Walk, and your shoes are right there. Patent pumps, something with a metallic shine or thin-strap sandals on a stiletto all look good in it.

We’d rather you didn’t guess at heel height. Put on the actual pumps from the box when you come for your fitting and climb a few steps in them, and if the velvet brushes the edge of each stair, the hem is too long for that pair. Better to find that out before the night.

January is hard on the off-shoulder gown. Its shoulders stay bare all evening, and you’ll want a little fur jacket or a robe-style coat on top that comes off in one move at the coat check.

Camera flash and a close fit

Black velvet doesn’t throw back glare, and the color stays deep and even in flash photos taken late at night, whether that’s under the chandeliers of a hotel ballroom or on a restaurant terrace. Shooting at a party? Pick a wall lighter than the gown and your outline won’t vanish into the background. Silver and crystal earrings look sharp on black pile.

These gowns sit close. Grab a tape measure before ordering. Bust, waist and hips are the three numbers our XS to XL chart asks for. On the one-sleeve maxi, take a few steps and watch how the bare side sits.

For the same fabric with a shorter hem, see our shorter black velvet. For covered arms in another shade, look through maxis with full sleeves, or flip through our full dress lineup.

Frequently asked questions

Which neckline wants a necklace?

The boat neck can take a thin chain. On the bare-shoulder and one-sleeve gowns we’d skip it and wear bigger earrings.

Is black fine for a December wedding if I’m a guest?

At an evening reception, absolutely. Once the lights go down, a black maxi dress in soft pile looks dressed up all on its own.

Can I iron the velvet?

Not on the pile. If it creases, a steamer from the inside of the gown fixes it.

What goes over it on a cold night?

A long coat. On a milder evening, the little fur jacket you can hand in at the door.