Sexy dress for date night, parties and dinners out

Most of our sexy dress styles pick one thing to show and cover up the rest. Maybe a bare shoulder. Or it’s a slit, a close rib knit, or a little keyhole sitting high on the chest, and once you’ve picked yours, the shoes and bag can stay plain.

One bare shoulder or a slit at the leg

One long sleeve, one bare shoulder. That’s the velvet mini we sew in red, burgundy, emerald, blue and black, and it’s the boldest thing we make for winter. You won’t need a necklace. The little black dress is in smooth velvet with that same single sleeve, and for a date we’d go with heels and loose curls.

Rather keep your arms covered? Then it’s the black knee-length dress with slits. The neckline runs along your shoulders and shows the collarbones, but the sleeves go right down to the wrist. We’d wear it in July with thin-strapped sandals and in January with ankle boots and thick black tights. Choose the size by your bust. That’s what stops the neckline from slipping halfway through the evening.

Slits are quieter. On a velvet midi the leg shows when you walk and disappears when you sit down for dinner, and that’s the kind of sexy dress you can wear to a family anniversary without anyone raising an eyebrow. Heels make the slit look longer. Sheer tights, too.

For a gala, there’s floor-length velvet with a slit and one bare shoulder in red, white, black or burgundy. Go up a step on the earrings. A sexy dress that long doesn’t need anything at the neck, just a small clutch and a coat you can drop at the door.

Close fits in rib knit and stretch cotton

A fitted knit does the work without any skin at all. Our black rib midi without sleeves follows your hips, and on a weekday it goes over a thin white turtleneck for the office. Take the turtleneck off at six, put a jacket on your shoulders and wear heels. Same dress, different evening.

Then there’s the keyhole mini, in black, white or pink. We cut it from a cotton jersey with a little elastane, and a seam under the bust marks your waist. Your normal size is fine. The knit gives. Under the black one, any smooth underwear works, and under white go for seamless nude.

Rib turtleneck midis with a slit are for cold days. They warm your neck, sit close and still let you take a full step. Morning means a camel coat over them and chunky soles. By night, swap to heeled boots.

With rib, buy for the body you have today. Don’t size down to get a tighter look, since the fabric just pulls thin across the hips. Keep it folded in a drawer so the rib doesn’t stretch.