I love dresses almost as much as I love wearing them to galas and parties! But which dress should you wear?  That’s the question for this page. And let me say right now, while you can wear pants to many events, in Edie’s closet there are no pants, at least not for wearing to galas and parties….

• What is the dress code for the event?

• What is your body type?

• What is your budget?

• Will you wear this dress more than once?

 

What is the dress code for the event?

Check the invitation or website.  You need to know whether it’s “black tie” or “business casual” because it will make a difference in your dress selection.  If after finding out the dress code you are not sure what it means, I’ve unpacked the meaning of dress codes on this page.

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What is your body type?

There are many different names and descriptions for body shapes such as apple and pear, athletic and curvy, but I like the four major categories described by Bradley Bayou, the well-known fashion designer who dressed many celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Anne Hathaway.

• Rectangle 

• Inverted Triangle

• Triangle

• Hourglass

If you navigate to the link you'll learn how to measure yourself (essential) and determine which of the four shapes best describes you! 

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What is your budget?

Good quality gowns and dresses can be purchased for $90-$300 and on sale for less, but you can certainly find bargains at discounters (Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx) or you can shoot the works at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.  And you can rent the designer gown for a fraction of the purchase price from Rent the Runway and others.  So, before shopping figure out your comfort zone on price.

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Will you wear the dress more than once?

This is really important.  Why fill your closet with dresses you will never wear a second time?  Rent instead!  On the other hand, if you’re going to events with different guests, or in multiple cities where everyone will see the dress only once, you will get enough use out of it to own it.  Another thing to think about is whether it’s the kind of dress that will go out of style or one that is timeless.  And in my case, I tend to put on and take off a few pounds, so I am always looking for dresses that have some stretch around the middle, so I can wear them over and over.

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The oldest dress in my closet is from 1995, so I guess you could say I’m attached to my wardrobe.  But I am also a power user of Rent the Runway and love being able to wear really nice dresses and pay only a fraction of the price (and no dry cleaning bill), and as a party reviewer, I go to a LOT of parties.

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I have three pages for you:

• Gowns – For those occasions where you need a full-length dress, this is a guide to different alternatives

• Dresses – Some dresses are purely for parties, but others are quite versatile and can be worn for work or just about anywhere.

• Using Rent the Runway – It may seem odd to wear the same dress a dozen other women have worn, but it actually works, and I’ll tell you how it works for me