Long navy dresses in floor-length velvet

Every long navy dress we sew right now is velvet, reaches the floor and belongs to the cold months. That’s a narrow range, so this page takes the cuts one at a time. They share a blue so dark that warm lamplight pushes it close to ink.

Mermaid, boat neck or draped shoulders

Start with the mermaid. It follows your figure down to the knee and opens out below, which means you can walk at a normal pace and still stand well for photos. With its round neckline and full-length sleeves, nothing is left bare. We’d send this one to a wedding or a formal reception.

The boat-neck dress is the warm one. Its velvet is dense and the sleeves are long, so inside a heated hall you won’t need a wrap at all. Afraid of freezing at a January ceremony? That’s the cut we’d hand you first.

Then there’s the draped style with bare shoulders. Soft folds gather the velvet across the body, and the dress looks festive with no trim on it. Skip the necklace. Long earrings and hair worn up suit it better, because the shoulder line is the reason to choose this cut for a New Year party or a photo shoot.

Getting a floor-length navy hem right

A long navy dress only works when the hem clears the ground. So do the fitting in the heels you’ve planned for the evening, not in socks. All three cuts want a heel or a platform.

Size is a different question for each one. With the mermaid and the boat neck, go by your hip measurement, since that’s where long velvet sits closest. The off-shoulder dress stays up only when the bust fits, so measure there instead. Sizes for all three go from XS up to XL, and our XL lands around a US 12.

Navy likes silver. Earrings, a bracelet, maybe a small clutch in silver or black, and that’s plenty next to a color this deep.

From the coat check to the last dance

You’ll need something over velvet on the way in. A straight coat or a stole won’t crush the draping, and a short fur jacket leaves the mermaid hem free to move.

One care note from us. Don’t put an iron on the pile. Steam creases from the inside instead and brush the velvet lightly before you head out, so the color looks even.