A floor-length evening dress made to order: silhouettes, fabrics and occasions

A floor-length evening dress is the universal choice for a celebration: it works at a wedding you attend as a guest, at a graduation ball and at a milestone birthday. But floor-length covers dozens of different silhouettes, and a dress made to order sits the way no off-the-peg one does. Here is how to find yours.

The silhouettes

• Straight (column) - lengthens the figure, suits almost everyone, reads as restrained and elegant.
• Mermaid (fit and flare) - follows the curves, striking for a formal entrance; it needs an exact fit, which is precisely what made-to-measure gives you.
• A-line - widens towards the hem, conceals the hips, comfortable to move and to dance in.
• Grecian - flowing, with a raised waist, the one to reach for when you want to conceal the stomach.

The silhouette is chosen for your figure and your purpose, not the other way round. How to choose a cut for your body type we covered in a separate article.

Fabrics for a floor-length dress

A long dress does its finest work through fabric in movement:

• silk and crepe - flow softly and fall into refined folds;
• satin - a dense sheen, holds its shape;
• velvet - for the cold season and for evening lustre;
• lace and embroidered fabrics - when you want an accent.

More on choosing in "Fabrics and colours for an evening dress".

The occasions

• a wedding you attend as a guest (on the finer points - here);
• a graduation ball;
• a milestone birthday or a family celebration (for the bride's mother - separately);
• a company party, New Year, an evening out.

Why made to order

A floor-length dress off the peg almost always has to be hemmed to your height, and the fit at the bust and waist has to be put up with. We draft the pattern to your measurements from scratch: the length exact to your height and your heels, the neckline and how much it reveals to your taste. What making an evening dress to order includes is on the "Evening dress made to order" page.

You can see our work in the gallery, and talk the idea through and hear the price at a consultation at our atelier in St Petersburg.