How to Choose an Evening Dress

Going out for a night on the town is quite exciting.  Whether you’re going out to a fancy restaurant or attending a New Year’s party at a country club, either way you’re going to need an evening dress.  But choosing an evening dress that looks amazing on you is not as easy as simply picking something off a rack.  Instead, you need to look for dresses that makes you look great and fit perfectly.  Here are some important things to keep in mind when selecting an evening dress.

Evening dresses can be quite expensive.  One of the first things you need to do when shopping for your dress is to set your budget.  You don’t want to end up buying a dress you can’t really afford.  By knowing how much you can spend, you can focus only on dresses in that price range.

Once you have your budget set, you should be able to make a list of stores you can visit.  This way, you won’t go looking at shops out of your price range, which prevents you from falling in love with that perfect evening dress that costs three times what you can pay.

Now comes the fun part – deciding what kind of dress you want!  You may need to go look around the shops or online first, but you might have an idea of what you want.  However, while you may want to use fashion magazines and such as a guide, it’s important to find a dress that looks good on you, not a dress that’s in fashion or that a particular celebrity wore.  You may want to get opinions from your friends and family.  You may even want to take someone shopping with you to get their thoughts on the dresses you try on.

Look for a dress that matches your skin tone.  If you’re uncertain if you can pull off a brightly colored dress, then choose something in a neutral color.  A black evening dress will never go out of style, but it may not be right for someone who is very pale.  Pick a color that compliments you.

Remember to take your time while shopping.  In fact, you should start looking for evening dresses three or four weeks before the event to ensure that you have plenty of time to find the perfect dress for you.  You don’t want to be rushed.

Tips For Picking Out Evening Dresses

Every girl’s closet must have evening dresses. However, with over hundreds of designs and shades, you might end up just a tad bit confused as to which type, style, color and designer to invest in.

Evening dresses are a necessity for women. At some point in our lives, we actually need to wear one. Thus, it is very important to invest in a few classic evening dresses that can be worn to more than just one occasion. Classic colors that are wise to purchase are midnight blue, black, white, silver or gold. Avoid bold, daring colors or patterns and prints. Well, actually, there are a lot of criteria to consider in buying evening dresses. Here are a few:

1. Style

Did you know that evening dresses actually have a variety of styles? There are halter evening dresses, strapless, empire waist, princess cut, cocktail dresses, mermaids, ruffled, sweetheart, A-line or bejeweled evening dresses. However, only a few of these are considered classic styles. Empire waist, halters, strapless and spaghetti straps are the infamous evening gowns that have ruled Hollywood over the past decades. So are the mermaid, knee-length and ankle length skirts – preferably with long slits.

2. Color

Choose neutral colors. Pastels, neutrals, earth tones – these are mostly the colors that are considered classic. No matter what the occasion, beige, white, peach, black and midnight blue will never go out of style. No matter what the occasion – be it a wedding, a ball, a black tie party, you can wear dresses with these type of shades.

Bold, bright colors such as fuchsia, canary yellow, royal blue, and jade green can go out of season. They are not exactly the right investment pieces you would want to have.

3. Accessories

It would be a whole lot better for your evening dresses to have minimal accessories and beadwork. Simple is better. Simple is timeless. Avoid bejeweled evening dresses, or sequined ones. They actually do more harm than good.

4. Fringes

At all costs, stay away from ruffled or fluffy evening dresses. Stay away from styles which remind you of wedding dresses or bridesmaid dress. These types of evening dresses do not only lack the important criteria of a timeless piece: style and elegance; they also lack appeal. “Lacking appeal” is actually an understatement. These dresses are often the most hideous ones in any social gathering.

5. Neckline Cut

Cut, is a lot similar to style. However, the neckline cut, to be more specific, affects the overall impact of your evening dress more than you thought possible. A décolleté is timeless and basically suits everyone in any size. Busty women are advised to avoid closed-neck or turtle necks. Instead of enhancing their figures, it adds bulk to their frame. Strapless dresses are also considered a classic. From the 1920s up to the present time, strapless dresses have been a fixture in any formal event. Spaghetti straps have only recently made their mark on the fashion industry, yet they have swiftly soared on top of the must-have evening dresses list.

Evening Dresses For the Stylish Minded

Whether you are looking for your first prom dress, a party dress, or evening gown for a big date, the choices and selection are endless. Over the centuries style has changed, materials have improved tremendously, and fashion has dictated what should be worn where and with what accessories. But still a dress is a dress, right?

Nowadays it is far less common for women to wear dresses on a daily basis than perhaps fifty years ago. In the 1950′s, most women found wearing a pant suit to work instead of a dress or skirt and blouse was comfortable and seemed to give them added confidence on the job. At home they wore slacks or jeans and a blouse or pull over t-shirt and were comfortable while doing their household chores. “Laura Petrie”, a character on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, was credited for bringing slacks into vogue for millions of women (and the men who admired her in them).

Today there are many styles to choose from in just a basic daytime dress (here are just a few):

- Shift
- Shirtwaist
- Jumper
- Sundress
- Moo Moo
- Spaghetti Strap
- Little Black Dress

When it comes to evening attire or a night out on the town the options are really enormous (a few examples):

- Sheath
- Shift
- Evening Gown
- Prom Dress
- Ball Gown
- Cocktail Dress
- Coronation Gown
- Wedding Gown
- Little Black Dress

Notice the Little Black Dress is mentioned in both categories. The basic black dress is somewhat of an institution that began back in the 1920′s when Coco Chanel made the idea popular. A stylish but simple basic black dress can be accessorised or left plain, depending on its use, and be the one dress that will never go out of style. It can always be worn when in doubt as to what to wear.

There are a few events that stand out in their life, and a woman needs a special dress just for these occasions. A Christening gown is the first, followed by a prom dress; next may well be an evening gown, and then the ultimate – the wedding gown. Each of these specialty gowns represent a different phase in the life of a woman, and signify the most special and memorable times for her.

Within these types of dresses or gowns are many choices in style, design, material, colour, and accessories. These choices are mostly a matter of personal preference but what’s in style at the moment plays a big part in the choices a woman makes.

A prom dress may be knee length, mid calf, or even floor length, made with yards of chiffon and strapless at the top. Colour choices are plentiful and she may even want to coordinate her dress with what her date is wearing.

Wedding dress descriptions can fill a book (and they have many times over) but there is definitely more to select from than just a basic white gown anymore.

Women have endless options when it comes to dresses, particularly evening dresses.