Party Xmas dresses in velvet, lurex and satin

A party Xmas dress has a lot to get through in one evening. There’s the office buffet at five and a dinner after, and then somebody always suggests one more bar. Most of ours are velvet, lurex knit or rib knit with long sleeves, and it’s worth trying yours on early, before the calendar fills up.

Straight from your desk at five

For the office, our black sheath midi is an easy party Xmas dress to start with. Round neck, three-quarter sleeves, a straight fitted cut that’s fine in a two o’clock meeting under a jacket. At four thirty the jacket comes off. Stilettos, a small clutch, and the shorter sleeve leaves your watch or a thin bracelet on show. If your bust and hips land on different sizes, go with the hip one. Otherwise the skirt tugs on the stairs.

Prefer red? We make a red one in rib knit, midi length, high collar, and the leg slit shows when you walk. It’s bright enough on its own. Hoops in your ears and a black or milk-white bag.

Lurex and sparkly knit under the string lights

Lurex has metallic thread worked through the knit, and under the fairy lights over a long table it shimmers without any help from you. Keep the earrings tiny. We sew a purple sparkly mini that covers your arms and stops at a plain round neckline, Pull a faux leather jacket over it for the walk, and choose heeled boots in black. Seamless underwear only.

Too loud for your family? Powder pink lurex is the quiet version. It’s wrapped, so the neckline dips into a V, and nude or gold shoes keep the whole thing soft. The black and silver one with a triangle neckline goes the other way entirely. Plain matte tights, plain shoes.

Wash them in cool water, in a laundry bag, no bleach.

Dancing late, then the train home

The black velvet mini on thin straps rolls up in a weekend bag. Velvet on this one doesn’t crease, so you can pull it out at your sister’s place an hour before dinner and wear it as is. Throw an oversized blazer over your shoulders until the music starts. Go by your bust for the size, and the straps won’t dig in.

For a proper ball, there’s a party Xmas dress in champagne velvet that runs all the way to the floor. One long sleeve covers an arm, the other shoulder stays bare, and a slit makes walking easy. Sweep your hair to the covered side. A small gold clutch is plenty. If you’d rather have more shine than velvet gives you, take a look at our dresses that sparkle.