Emily Post's guide for a formal evening wedding asks women for a long evening dress or a dressy cocktail dress, depending on local custom. I find that a useful starting point for any formal occasion, whether it is a gala, a wedding where you are the mother of the bride, or a dinner where the invitation says formal and means it. Length matters more than anything else, and almost every dress in this edit is long.

 

I start with the newer names. Rosie Assoulin interned at Oscar de la Renta and Lanvin before she launched her own label in 2013, and her Call Me Maybe Draped Maxi Dress lets one big drape do all the work. The SIEDRÉS La Isla is ruched sequined chiffon, and the same label's Raye is a pink crepe halter. Arcina Ori makes two of my favourites, the red Ellery in crepe and the green Darcy in satin, and De La Vali has the blue Sasini in georgette and the pink Dedalo with its cape sleeves. The SIMKHAI Izel is a pink crepe cape gown, the Georgia Hardinge Eclipse is red metallic chiffon and the SEV Elliott is silver sequins. For the simplest line, the Co Strapless Column and the Éterne Carla black satin halter are the two I would choose. Past those, the Tibi plisse bias dress in emerald satin, the Significant Other Mora, a strapless crepe column in orange, the Reformation Lara in aquamarine silk and the Veronica Beard Daciana in a raisin print add more colour to the formal dresses here.

 

My test is the sit test. Sit on a hard chair for a full minute, then stand up and look in the mirror. Satin and crepe show creases at the hip in a way that georgette and chiffon do not, and you will be sitting through dinner.

 

What I would skip: a strapless gown you keep pulling up. If you adjust it in the fitting room, you will adjust it all night.

Jasmin Larian started Cult Gaia in 2012, straight out of FIT, and the label began with flower crowns and headpieces she made for friends. When it showed its Resort 24 collection under the dome of the Academy Museum in Los Angeles in November 2023, lamé evening gowns were part of it. Its Izola Gown in winter plum sits here because it does deep colour so well, and Ulla Johnson's Freesia, crinkled silk chiffon in kelp green with ruffle trim, is the dark green beside it.

 

This group is about the rich colours that look right at night. Mac Duggal's emerald one shoulder satin gown, with its draped overskirt and a slit up the front, is the most dramatic of them. SALONI's Fabienne is berry velvet with a scattered dot print, a mock neck and an open back, and it is the one I would wear to a winter dinner. Paris Georgia's black Sculpted Dress and brown Kate Velvet are the quiet ones, A.L.C.'s Romy is a satin halter gown in night blue and L'IDÉE's Empire gown is a clean burgundy, with a deep V and sleeves that drape down to a ruffled hem.

 

My test with any embellished gown is to run your hand down the inside of the sleeve and the side seam. Sequins and beads should sit on a soft lining, not scratch the skin.

 

What I would skip: a navy gown that matches the groomsmen or the bridesmaids. Ask before you buy.

A column is the most forgiving formal shape I know. It skims rather than clings, it does not need a petticoat, and it lets fabric and embellishment do the work.

 

Conner Ives grew up in Bedford, New York and moved to London in 2014 to study at Central Saint Martins, and the gold gown here is his: a metallic knit column from the Club Moda La Isla capsule, with triangle godets that flare out at the hem. Georgia Hardinge's Deity is plissé metallic knit to the floor, and Mac Duggal's open back sequin column in green is the one I would keep for black tie. Posse, which Danielle Mulham started in Sydney in 2016, does the quiet version: the Rosanna is a black crepe column with beading only at the hem. Cult Gaia's Vaela Gown is a black halter column, very modern and very easy, and Norma Kamali's sleeveless bias gown in ballet pink, with a cowl neck and a low back, is the only one here without any sparkle at all. Aje's Florentia is a column hung with raffia fringe, and ALICE + OLIVIA's Delora is a strapless midi beaded all over in black and gold.

 

A pairing tip: with a fully sequined column, choose a plain satin shoe and a small clutch, and skip the statement necklace. With the Vaela or the Norma Kamali, you have room for bolder earrings.

 

What I would skip: fringe if you plan to sit at a long dinner. Fringe like the Aje raffia looks wonderful moving and can catch on chairs and tablecloths.

Embroidery and appliqué are where a formal dress starts to feel like a portrait. This group is florals and hand detail, in every length from tea length to floor.

 

Anjali Patel Mehta left investment banking to start VERANDAH in Mumbai, and its Sundowner is crepe de chine beaded by hand. De La Vali's Lucho is sky blue lace to the floor and Ulla Johnson's Coco is black silk trimmed in lace, and all three are long enough for a mother of the bride or a formal dinner. Leo Lin launched his label in Sydney in 2017, and its appliqué, embroidery and beading are finished by hand in the brand's own atelier in Dalian, China. His Rayna, a green crepe maxi scattered with appliquéd flowers, shows why I go to him for this kind of detail. Sea, the New York label childhood friends Monica Paolini and Sean Monahan started in 2007, makes the Carlotta, a beaded midi with its own cape, and By Malene Birger's Camilla is an embroidered satin slip edged in organza. Those two are shorter and lighter, better for an afternoon event. DÔEN's Gwyneth is beige lace with a cape at the back, modelled on 1930s dinner dresses, and Akira's rhinestone maxi in green brings something younger and less expected.

 

My test with embroidered dresses is the light. Take the dress to a window. Embroidery that looks rich under shop lighting can look flat in daylight, and the best pieces look good in both.

 

What I would skip: big floral embroidery with a printed wrap or a patterned clutch. Let the dress be the only pattern.

The last group is the most varied: two floral midis, a red gown and some cleaner long dresses.

 

Mac Duggal's gold floral brocade A-line midi is structured and full, very good for an afternoon wedding, and SIMKHAI's Ivi, from the label Jonathan Simkhai founded in New York in 2010, scatters appliquéd flowers over a periwinkle midi. The DES_PHEMMES one shoulder midi in acid green printed satin, made in Italy, is the most playful dress in the edit, and Maygel Coronel's Mater, ruched merlot jersey to the floor, is the most confident. PatBO's Iara crochet flowers midi brings yellow and texture. For simpler gowns, Theia's Avalina in blue organza lamé has a quiet shine and Cult Gaia's Raylene in chianti is the label's third gown here. Lela Rose's Stella is green sequins, Bernadette's Elora is a pink organza bustier maxi, and the Anna October Kelly is a blue chiffon maxi. Past those, SIMKHAI's Annibelis is draped satin in pale blue, Amsale's strapless column comes with its own overskirt, Norma Kamali's spliced bias gown in red and black has a dramatic bow, and Couper's Odette, tiered ruffles in a flamingo floral with bows at the shoulders, is the most romantic.

 

A pairing tip: a midi length wants a shoe with some substance, a block heel or a pointed pump, not a delicate sandal. Long gowns are the other way around.

A formal dress should look like you chose it for this night. The details that matter most are the ones you feel: a lining that does not scratch, a waist you can sit in, a hem you can walk in.

 

If I were buying one gown to cover the most occasions, it would be a column in a deep colour, the Cult Gaia Vaela or the Posse Rosanna, because a long column in navy or black works at a gala, a wedding and a formal dinner without anyone remembering you wore it last time. If the event is a once in a lifetime one, like your own child's wedding, I would choose an embroidered gown from the third group and let it be the one thing in the room that is truly yours.

 

Try everything in daylight, sit down in it, and bring the shoes. Then you will know. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Semi-Formal Wedding Guest Dresses, Explained and Lace Or Macrame For A Formal Dress.