Evening dressing gets easier once you stop thinking about the occasion and start thinking about the length. Long reads formal almost regardless of fabric, short reads social, and a knit dress reads confident because it is clearly not trying. Below, all three, drawn from Oscar de la Renta, Missoni, Prada and Victoria Beckham. Choose the length first, then let the fabric decide how loud the whole thing is.

Floor length, and the safest thing to wear when you are unsure. Oscar de la Renta's botanical faille gown and Prada's long lace are both genuinely special.

Short is the harder length to get right, so let the surface do the work. Oscar de la Renta's crystal embroidered mini and Prada's sable are the strongest here.

The most underrated evening option there is. Ann Demeulemeester's Eva and Oscar de la Renta's drape detail jersey gown pack flat and still look considered.

The dress I have worn to the most events is a plain black knit one. Special does not always mean embellished, and that took me a while to accept.