Short party dress or party short dresses in velvet

Party short dresses work hardest when you know the room. That’s why we’ve grouped ours by the kind of night they suit, not by color. Most are velvet minis with long sleeves, and the rest bring in lurex knit, satin, angora and a few summer prints.

Your birthday, a club or the office countdown

For your own birthday dinner, a velvet mini with one sleeve does a lot on its own. It’s asymmetric, so you’ll show a single shoulder and won’t need anything at the neck. Booked a club afterwards? Our purple lurex mini hugs the body. Its metallic thread catches every light over the bar.

Office parties are trickier. You want shine without too much skin. Our blue sparkly knit wrap mini is draped at the waist and keeps your shoulders and arms covered, and the black lurex wrap opens only at the collarbones. Matte black tights calm both down.

Weddings and nights with a lot of dancing

When a band is booked, pick a skirt that swings. We cut a velvet style with a half-circle skirt to the knee, in burgundy and in emerald, with long cuffed sleeves. On the burgundy version there’s an opening at the back you’ll see only as you spin, so wear your hair up.

Mid-height heels get you through the whole evening. Trust us on that one. A skinny gold bracelet suits the cuff better than a bangle.

Dates and warm-weather parties

A date calls for something softer. Our powder velvet wrap mini is draped, and its warm pile makes the pink look deeper than on a flat fabric. Then there’s red satin. That slip mini is the barest short party dress we make, with skinny straps and a plunging V, so in winter keep an oversized blazer on until you sit down.

The summer ones come back in the warm months. Think a light blue floral wrap with ruffles on the skirt, or a black polka-dot mini with open shoulders and long sleeves for a rooftop. A jean jacket helps once it gets breezy.