Black Dresses

Fifteen black dresses, across maxi, midi and mini, in satin, mesh, lace and stretch. Between £40 and £145, sized XS to XL.

Free UK delivery on every order, no minimum spend, and free 14-day returns.

Why the black dress still wins

It is the most searched dress colour in Britain by a distance, and the reason is not fashion. It is arithmetic. A black dress works in daylight and in a dim restaurant, in July and in December, at a work event and at a party. It photographs cleanly under any lighting. It does not date. And it is the one occasion piece most people wear more than twice.

If you own a single formal dress, own this one. Everything else in a wardrobe is a second purchase.

What we carry

  • Maxi — seven styles, floor-length. Satin mermaids for evening, cut-out and high-split styles for a night out.
  • Mini — six styles, above the knee. Bodycon, mesh and lace, built for birthdays and nights out.
  • Midi — a smaller group, at or below the knee, and the most wearable length day to day.

Eight are bodycon or ruched, six are backless or open-backed, four are satin, and three have long sleeves. Twelve are tagged for parties and nine for nights out, which tells you what this edit is really for.

The little black dress, and how to buy one

The phrase covers three quite different garments, and knowing which you want saves a return.

A fitted black mini is the going-out version. Cut close, worn with a heel, and the most fun of the three — but the least versatile, because it only reads right in the evening.

A black midi is the useful one. It goes to a work dinner, a christening, a birthday lunch and a wedding reception without needing to be reconsidered. If you are buying one black dress to cover the most ground, buy this.

A black satin maxi is the formal one. Black tie, evening weddings, anything with a dress code. It is the most expensive to get wrong and the most striking when it is right.

Black at a wedding

It stopped being controversial some years ago, with one caveat that still matters: keep the fabric occasion-led. A black satin maxi reads elegant. A plain black jersey shift reads like you came straight from the office. Four of these styles are tagged for wedding guests, and they are the satin and ruched ones for exactly that reason.

Sizing

These run XS to XL, with full measurements in centimetres on the size guide. Our dresses are true to size.

Black is less forgiving than people assume. It hides seams and detail, which is why it flatters, but it shows a bad fit as clearly as any other colour. Between two sizes, take the larger in satin and your usual size in anything with stretch. For a bodycon cut, order to your hip measurement rather than your dress size.

One practical note on mesh and lace styles: check the lining before you commit to how you will wear it underneath, and choose seamless rather than contrast where a style is sheer.

Delivery and returns

UK delivery is free on every order with no minimum spend, and takes around seven working days. Returns are free within 14 days with a prepaid label in the box, so if you are between two sizes, order both and send one back at no cost.

Where to look next

By length: maxi, midi, mini. By occasion: evening dresses for black tie, party dresses for everything less formal. For other colours, green, white and red.