Christmas formal dresses for dinners and dress-code nights

When the invitation asks for a long dress

For a winter wedding, a company dinner at a restaurant or an anniversary, we sew a burgundy velvet gown that reaches the floor and opens in a leg slit. The round neck and long sleeves keep the silhouette closed. Those sleeves are warm, so you won’t need a wrap for the evening. Wear heels with it, because the hem should clear the floor and the slit will show your shoes.

Want your shoulders bare? Our navy velvet gown drops off both shoulders and gathers into soft draping, and in warm light the blue turns almost inky. Long earrings do more for it than a necklace. There’s a black one-sleeve maxi as well, made for evenings with a dress code. Walk a few steps in your party shoes at the fitting and check how the bare shoulder sits.

A lurex midi for the Christmas dinner table

Candles and string lights are what our blue wrap midi was made for. It’s a knit with lurex, a metallic thread that catches every glint in the room. The wrap forms a V-neck, the belt fixes your waist, and the knit stretches, so nothing presses when you sit down to eat. Is a midi formal enough? At a seated dinner, yes.

The green lurex midi ends around mid-calf, and its shine is even, with no sequins involved. Pick matte shoes and a matte bag for it. We also cut a fitted midi in purple from the same kind of knit. Its neckline is round and the sleeves run full length.

Family Christmas in a closed neckline

Some holiday tables call for covered and warm, not bare and sparkly. A black velvet turtleneck midi looks festive at a family dinner with no shine at all, and big earrings replace the necklace its collar leaves no room for. The white turtleneck midi in an angora-blend knit works for Christmas Day too. Add pearl earrings and a low heel.

Christmas styles are seasonal, so we’d treat this page as a planner and settle your size early. Every Christmas formal dress we sew comes in XS to XL, and each product page has a chart with bust and hip measurements. For more, see all Christmas dresses, the velvet ones or our winter formal page.

Frequently asked questions

Would a short hem count as formal at Christmas?

That depends on the invitation. At an office party, a long-sleeved velvet mini that’s closed at the neck is dressed up enough. For black tie, go long.

What colors do you sew a Christmas formal dress in?

Black leads. After it come red, white, blue and emerald, with burgundy and powder pink close behind.

How can I tell if a floor-length hem is right for me?

Step into your party shoes first, then the dress. With the heel on, the hem shouldn’t touch the floor.

What if my velvet dress arrives creased?

Turn it inside out and use a steamer. An iron pressed onto the pile leaves marks.