Your guide to summer event dressing

When the diary is filling up fast and you’re running out of outfits, not to worry – we have solutions for every occasion under the sun (and the stars).

Our styling team – who dress women for events all day every day – recommend you start with a dreamy dress that makes you feel like a goddess and accessorise from there.

As for designers who have event wear down to a fine art, we particularly love Alexis, Galvan and A.L.C. for event dresses that are so gorgeous and so summer 2022.

Coastal Soiree

 

  

Who doesn’t love a party with a water view on a hot day? When you can spend an afternoon gazing out to sea and swaying to the beat, that’s summer eventing at its finest.

 

Sourcing an outfit that strikes a balance between polished and effortless is the challenging part. When the sun’s out and there’s every possibility that you might take off your shoes later, you won’t put a foot wrong with our new arrivals from mother-daughter design duo Alexis. Their opulent dresses and versatile separates serve as the perfect canvas for richly decorated laces, romantic silks, and striking textiles. 

 

Go for the classic coastal colour scheme of blue on white if your event has a Mykonos-meets-Halcyon House vibe or consider this palm-print midi for a fun nod to the tropics. Looks amazing when you’re holding an aperol spritz BTW. Both options come together as breezy, beautiful, uncomplicated.

 

 

Bright Lights & Balmy Nights

 

 

 

Twilight christmas functions and outdoor cocktail parties under fairy lights call for jewel tones, silky satin and sparkling accents.

 

For hot summer night style, you can’t go past a work-of-art dress from Galvan London. After-dark dressing is their thing and the impact you’ll make is all in the detail.

 

We’re already fielding enquiries about this hot sequin dress from the designer’s classic collection. The shimmering all over sequin detail trails all the way down the dress so you can make a glittering entrance or exit, which fits with what our stylists say about statement dresses being a key evening eventwear looks.

 

Nineties-esque halter necks are also coming through strong this season. On the other side of the colour wheel, we have this dazzling emerald number cut from light-catching plissé silk.  

 

 

Destination Wedding

 

 

 

Sartorially speaking, choosing an outfit for a wedding should be an elegant exercise in chic comfort. Think draped fabrics that keep you cool while allowing you to indulge in canapes and wedding cake.

 

As we were saying about halter necks earlier, this is also the perfect neckline for a wedding where the ceremony and reception are al fresco. Not only is the humble halter neck universally flattering (sitting just so on the shoulders), it also protects your delicate decolletage from the sun.

 

Our designer pick for wedding guest dresses has got to be A.L.C. Born and raised in New York City, stylist-turned-designer Andrea Lieberman has a flawless eye for daring silhouettes and clothes you’ll love enough to wear again and again. 

 

Case in point is A.L.C’s feminine Elara dress in an artful floral print that wouldn’t look out of place in 1970s Palm Springs.

 

Another rather fabulous option is this Barbie-core creation with open strappy back. Just add gold hoops and heels, and you’re good to go.