Formal gowns and evening dresses floor length

When the invitation says black tie or there’s an awards dinner with a photographer at the entrance, you’re looking for formal gowns and evening dresses floor length, nothing shorter. Ours are all cut from velvet. That fabric photographs without glare and stays warm in a drafty hall.

Sleeves for a long, formal night

Formal dinners run long. Covered arms help. The burgundy and emerald styles with a round neck and long sleeves cover your arms and shoulders completely, and both open at the leg in a slit you only notice when you walk.

In black and navy there’s a boat neck that shows your collarbones and keep the arms covered. That’s the kind of formal gown or evening dress, floor length and closed, that works at the theater, a reception or a winter wedding with an evening dress code. Silver jewelry with navy. A small clutch in the color of the dress.

Going up on stage for an award or a toast? A closed neckline and full sleeves mean you won’t be fixing a strap in front of the room.

The navy mermaid is the most fitted of the lot. It follows your body to the knee and then flares, and it has a round neck with long sleeves. For anything with a bare shoulder, see the evening gown page instead.

Getting there in a skirt that reaches the floor

Practical stuff first. A hem this long needs heels, or you’ll step on it on the stairs. Wear the shoes you’ll actually dance in when you try the dress on, and take a few steps and sit down.

Getting out of the car, gather the skirt in one hand. Sounds obvious. It’s also the moment most hems get stepped on.

Your coat should be long enough that the velvet doesn’t peek out underneath it, so a long puffer or a coat below the knee, or something short like a faux fur jacket you’ll drop at the coat check. On a black tie evening you’ll be photographed a lot, and every one of these formal gowns and evening dresses, floor length and in deep velvet, looks deep and even in warm evening light. Run a soft brush over the pile on your way out.