Party Dresses

A party dress has one job and it is not the one people think. It is not to be the most striking thing in the room — it is to let you stop thinking about what you are wearing within ten minutes of arriving. Fifty-four styles here, cut for that: mini, midi and maxi, in sequin, satin and stretch, sized XS to XXXL and UK 6 to UK 26.

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

Cocktail, party, or going out

Three words that get used interchangeably and mean quite different things once you are through the door.

A cocktail dress is the most formal of the three. Midi or knee-length, structured fabric, worn where the invitation has a dress code — a company party, an engagement party, a wedding reception you are attending rather than standing up in. Understated wins here.

A party dress sits in the middle and is the broadest category: birthdays, Christmas parties, celebrations where the brief is simply to look like you made an effort. This is where most of our sequin and embellished styles live.

A going out dress is the least formal and the most fitted. Mini or bodycon, built for a night that involves standing, dancing and a queue in the cold. Comfort matters more than it sounds: a dress you keep adjusting is a dress you will remember for the wrong reason.

Christmas parties and the December problem

The Christmas party dress is the hardest brief of the year, because the room is usually too warm, the journey there is too cold, and you are photographed under overhead lighting that flatters nobody.

Three things solve most of it. Choose a fabric with some structure — satin and stretch crepe hold up under warm lighting where thin jersey does not. Choose a colour with depth rather than a pale one, because pale fabric and overhead light are a bad combination. And if there is any chance of dancing, choose a sleeve or a strap you trust; strapless is a commitment you have to keep re-honouring all night.

Emerald, burgundy, navy and black all photograph well in December. Sequin is entirely appropriate and, for once, hard to overdo.

Hen parties and engagement parties

For a hen party dress, the practical constraints usually decide it: you will be in it for a long day, probably outdoors at some point, and quite possibly co-ordinating with other people. The useful trick for a group is to match the colour rather than the dress — two or three different necklines in the same shade read as a considered party where identical dresses read as a uniform.

If you are the bride at your own hen or engagement party, white is yours for once. We carry a handful of white and cream styles across mini and maxi, which is precisely the occasion they exist for.

For an engagement party dress, aim one notch more formal than you think. You will be photographed more than at an ordinary party and those photographs get shared widely.

What we carry

  • Sequin and embellished — twenty-one styles. Catches light in a dim room, reads heavy in daylight. Evening only.
  • Bodycon and ruched — thirty-four styles. Ruching smooths through the middle and photographs sharply.
  • Cut-out and backless — twenty-six styles. Detail placed where the camera usually is.
  • Long sleeve — eight styles, which is the answer for a cold venue without a jacket ruining the line.

Nineteen of these are black, then green, yellow, purple and red. Black remains the most searched party dress colour and the one most people reach for; if you want to stand slightly apart, the green and purple styles do it without effort.

Sizing

Party dresses run more fitted than the rest of our range, so sizing matters more. Our styles go from XS to XXXL in letter sizes and UK 6 to UK 26 in the numeric ones — full measurements in centimetres on the size guide.

Our dresses are true to size. 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. If you are looking for a plus size party dress, the ruched styles are the strongest — the gathering smooths rather than clings, and they hold their shape across a long night.

One practical note: if you will be sitting for a meal before the dancing, avoid anything with a rigid boned bodice unless you have worn that shape before and know how you feel in it after two hours.

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 ordering two sizes and sending one back costs you nothing.

Order two to three weeks before the party. Party season in December moves quickly and a calm exchange beats a rushed one.

Where to look next

For something more formal, evening dresses covers black tie and gowns. For sparkle specifically, sequin dresses. For nights out rather than parties, night out and mini dresses. If the party is a wedding reception, wedding guest dresses is the safer starting point.