Sexy maxi dress in velvet, off shoulder or with slit

Every sexy maxi dress we make is velvet, so let’s be clear that this page is about cold-season evenings and not the beach. The allure comes from three places, a bare shoulder line, a single sleeve or a slit that shows your leg only as you step. Which of those you pick depends on where you’re headed.

A winter wedding or a dress-code evening

You want bare shoulders, and you don’t want to shiver. That’s our black velvet maxi, cut off the shoulder yet sleeved all the way down. This velvet is thick and soft-piled, so its black stays rich after dark. No sequins needed. Pin your hair up so the shoulder line is on view, and choose between a fine necklace and big earrings.

For a quieter kind of sexy maxi dress, look at the blue floor-length velvet with a boat neck. It’s closed and warm, and the shape alone does the work. We’d wear it to a winter wedding where the invitation asks for evening dress, with silver jewelry.

New Year’s Eve, office parties and nights you’ll dance

Dancing needs a slit. Our burgundy velvet maxi has one at the leg, and it opens only in motion, so your stride isn’t held back. Arms are covered, which means no wrap to keep track of all night. Shoes show in the gap. Patent or suede in a matching tone looks best.

Is it a New Year’s ball? The gold one-shoulder gown is velvet in a champagne tone that glows under evening lights. It fits close, has one long sleeve and a slit. Sweep your hair to the covered side, and the bare shoulder stays visible.

Navy fans get a floor-length velvet with bare shoulders and draping. In warm light the blue goes nearly ink dark. Skip the necklace here, because the folds are decoration enough.

Prom, photos and the one-sleeve cut

One sleeve changes everything. On our red velvet maxi the bare shoulder becomes the main detail, so a necklace would only crowd it. Raise the sleeved arm when you try it on and make sure the shoulder line stays put.

Emerald with bare shoulders and a slit is the one we’d suggest for prom, and gold jewelry warms the green. There’s also powder pink with a single sleeve, plus white and black versions of the same idea.

Every long hem here needs a heel. Try the dress with your party shoes before the night, since that’s how you’ll know the length is right. We sew these in XS to XL, and with a cut this snug, the chart needs your bust and hip numbers. An M is a US 6–8.

Next, compare necklines among the bare-shoulder maxis, see every color of long velvet, or browse our sexy dresses in shorter lengths.