Evening gowns and dresses for nights with a dress code

Seven o’clock, a theater and a blue gown

Say the curtain goes up at seven and there’s a reception after. The long-sleeved blue velvet one, with its boat neck, covers that whole night. Its velvet is dense and warm, so you can leave the wrap at home. Small stud earrings for the premiere.

On New Year’s Eve the same gown can take longer silver earrings with stones. Run a soft brush over the pile before you leave and the blue looks even all over. A clutch in the same blue is nice with it.

Winter weddings ask for more shape. Our navy mermaid evening gown fits close down to the knee and widens below it, so you can walk freely and still pose well on a staircase. With a round neck and long sleeves, you stay covered when the photographer takes everyone outside into the cold. We’d add silver here.

When midi is the better length

A long hem can look like too much at a work party or a birthday dinner in a restaurant. A lurex midi is easier on those nights.

We make our blue lurex wrap in a bright electric blue that shows up in a dark restaurant. The lurex stretches and hugs the body. A tie belt adjusts the fit at your waist. For a wedding we’d add black pumps and silver earrings.

Gray lurex is softer, and it’s the easier one to wear with what you’ve already got. On our gray midi the top stays closed, with a round neck and long sleeves, while a slit opens as you walk. It looks great with black heels or even heeled ankle boots and a long black coat over it.

Getting a close fit right

Fit on these gowns is snug by design. Before you order the champagne one-shoulder evening gown or the mermaid, take a tape measure to your bust and hips and compare both numbers with the chart, which runs from XS to XL.

It’s a little different with the burgundy gown that has one sleeve and a slit. We sew it in velvet with a good stretch, and if your measurements sit right between two sizes, the smaller one usually fits better.

Length is the last check. Put on the heels you’ll actually dance in and see that the hem stays just off the floor. Want only long ones? Open gowns that reach the floor. A strict black tie invitation has its own page of formal styles, and darker moods are covered by evening dresses in black.

Frequently asked questions

I’ll be outside for photos in December. Which gown?

One with long sleeves and dense velvet, like the blue boat neck or the navy mermaid.

What hair goes with a one-shoulder cut?

Put it over the covered side so the bare shoulder shows. A low bun works too.

Can lurex go in the washing machine?

By hand is safer, in cool water with no bleach and no twisting. Then it dries flat, out of the sun.

Is a coat or a fur jacket better over a floor-length gown?

Either, as long as it doesn’t crush the velvet. A coat should come below the knee, while a short fur jacket leaves the whole hem free.