Slit maxi dress in velvet with sleeves

A slit maxi dress gives you the drama of a floor-length hem and still lets you walk, climb stairs and dance. All of ours are velvet, with a slit at the leg and some kind of sleeve. We sew them for fall and winter evenings.

What the slit does in a long velvet skirt

Velvet is dense. Our long skirts follow the figure, and without an opening a cut like that would shorten your step. So we add a slit, and on most styles it shows the leg only as you move.

That’s why the burgundy maxi with long sleeves works at an office New Year party or a winter wedding. Your arms are covered and the slit stays quiet until you walk. On the burgundy off-shoulder dress the slit is larger and sits at the side, and you can dance without thinking about it.

Our black boat-neck dress has a high one. It parts at every step.

Shoes are on show, so choose them first

Everyone will see your shoes. A slit puts them on display each time you move, so patent or metallic heels are worth it here, and so are sandals with thin straps. Heels do a second job, since they raise the skirt clear of the ground. Judge the length of any slit maxi dress in the shoes you plan to wear, because heels change how the skirt moves.

With the white one-sleeve dress, we’d choose thin heels in a champagne tone. Nude stilettos continue the leg under the powder pink style. For emerald, go gold.

Necklines and sleeves that balance an open leg

How much skin do you want up top? Off-the-shoulder necklines are the largest group, in black, burgundy, emerald and dark navy. They call for hair worn up and long earrings in place of a necklace. One-sleeve cuts come next, where one arm gets a full sleeve and the opposite shoulder gets none, and we make those in red, white, black, gold and powder pink.

If you’d rather keep the top closed, look at the round-neck burgundy or the boat neck in black. A covered top and an open leg balance each other. We think that’s the calmest way to wear a slit.

Sizes go from XS to XL, and our S sits at about a UK 8. The fit is close through the hip, so measure there first. Then compare lengths in all our dresses with a slit or fabrics in the maxi collection.