Evening Gowns

Gowns for black tie evenings, weddings, proms and galas, cut to the floor in satin, chiffon, stretch jersey and tulle, with plus size styles among them. A gown is usually bought for a fixed date, which raises the stakes on how the fabric behaves under photography and lighting, and on how much time you have left for alterations. The notes below cover silhouette, fabric and timing.

Choosing a Silhouette Before Choosing a Color

Silhouette does the structural work and color only decorates it. An A-line releases from the waist and skims everything below, which makes it the most forgiving and the easiest to alter. A mermaid holds close to the knee before flaring, so it decides how you sit and how far you can step. A sheath follows the body from shoulder to hem with nowhere to hide a seam. Choose the silhouette against how long you will be standing, sitting and moving, because a gown that photographs beautifully can still be unwearable for four hours. A slit changes the calculation entirely, since it restores stride length to a shape that removed it.

What Satin, Chiffon and Jersey Each Do to Light

Evening fabrics are chosen for how they behave under artificial light as much as for how they feel. Satin reflects, which reads as luminous in photographs and unforgiving over a close fit, since every line shows. Stretch jersey absorbs light and moves with the body, so it holds a mermaid or a halter shape quietly and forgives a long night of sitting. Chiffon is transparent and only works in layers, which is why it appears as overlays and sleeves rather than as a whole gown. If the event is heavily photographed, jersey and other matte fabrics are more predictable than satin under flash. Beading and sequins add weight, and weight changes how a hem falls after an hour of wear.

Ordering Early Enough to Alter

Gowns are the one garment almost nobody wears straight from the box. Length is the usual alteration, and it depends on the exact shoes worn on the day, which is why the shoes should be chosen first and taken to the fitting. Order with enough time for a hem and a fitting, because a gown that arrives the week of the event is a gown you wear as it came. Taking a gown in at the side seams is straightforward; letting one out rarely is, so where sizes are borderline the larger one leaves more options open.

For shorter formal lengths and everyday styles, the wider range sits in Dresses, and since the hem is fitted to the shoe, it helps to settle that first in Shoes.

Guides for Evening Gowns

View all
1 4
View all