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Ask an Event Stylist: Your Formal Dress Questions Answered

Formal Styling 101: Answering your most common questions

Dress for a Night • Designer Dress Hire


Do you find yourself asking how fashion tape works? Or what exactly formal event attire is? As a current Dress for a Night stylist, I will be unpacking the most common questions received by our customers on how to prepare for formal events.  

 


Meet the Expert: behind the Scenes with a Dress for a Night Stylist

Before I discuss the ins and outs of formal dress preparation and answer your most wanted questions, let me introduce myself. My name is Sofia Rodrigues, I have been a retail assistant and stylist at Dress for a Night for over nearly two and a half years. Over the years I have accumulated a variety of skills and resources that have helped me answer these questions to an expert standard. My passion for creating show-stopping formal events continues and is highlighted through my work each day. Before we begin, it is important to note that I have had to learn the hard way on many of these aspects, I am here today to ensure that you can enjoy your event to its full potential!


Insider Advice: Answering your most common questions

Question 1: What is formal attire?

This is the most common question I receive, what is formal attire? Well, unfortunately, I am here to tell you it is not a simple answer. There are three types of formal attire, Business formal, Black Tie formal (semi-formal) and White Tie formal (ultra formal). Formal attire is elegant and sophisticated, think about fabrics such as silk, velvet, and satin. I would recommend wearing a full-length dress to every formal event (unless specified on the invitation to your event). Dressy flats are within the dress code, however, I would recommend pairing your dress with a pair of heels. Accessories are a great way to elevate any part of your outfit, using a high-quality bag can make an outstanding difference to any outfit, think about jewellery and the hardware of the dress, and make sure the two match to optimise elegance.

 

Formal Dresses for Hire

SIR the Label SIR THE LABEL Rei Knot Dress - RRP $399 - 9.png
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ZIMMERMANN Silk Wrap Midi Dress (Jade Green) - RRP 5,Dress for a Night
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REBECCA VALLANCE Dionne Lace Up Midi Dress (Green) - RRP 9,Dress for a Night
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Question 2: What should I wear over a formal dress when it is cold?

What do you do if you have a formal wedding in winter and a dress with no sleeves..? I am here to answer this question for you, before grabbing your coat or jacket remember the event and the rest of your accessories. If you want the dress to be the centrepiece of your look, make sure to not let it get overpowered by a large coat. Instead, pair your dress with a fur or shaul. Something that covers your shoulders and maybe neck to keep warm, whilst also showcasing the star of your outfit. During springtime, a light scarf can be appropriate for cool evenings as well.


Question 3: What underwear should I wear under a fitted dress?  

To wear underwear or not to wear underwear.. that is the question. There are many different styles available to suit different styles of dresses to ensure you don't have any lines showing through your dress. I would firstly recommend the simple seamless underwear, ensure that it is placed on you correctly with no rolls or bunches amongst the fabric as this will show through the dress. I am also commonly asked how to wear shapewear under a dress, luckily there are so many options on the market to suit every style of dress. If you are wearing a tight-fitted dress waisted shapewear will be your best bet to ensure there are no visible lines through your dress. If you are wearing a strapless dress you are in luck, many options include a bra within the shapewear to maximise comfort and minimise those sneaky lines. Now... if neither of these options works for you or your dress, don't be embarrassed to go commando. Just make sure the wind is in your favour that day!



Question 4: How do I accessorise a black dress for a formal dress

This is my favourite question! Coming from a serial black dress wearer there are so many fun ways you can accessorise a black dress for a formal event. Think about bringing in a pop of colour to your outfit, this is my favourite way to elevate an outfit, a pop of orange or pink makes your black dress stand out within the crowd. Coloured shoes and bags make a great accessory for a black dress. Make sure to accessorise with your preferred metal (silver or gold). Make sure to always match the hardware on your dress!

Looking for the Perfect Bag?

SIR the Label SIR THE LABEL Rei Knot Dress - RRP $399 - 9.png
Sold out
ZIMMERMANN Silk Wrap Midi Dress (Jade Green) - RRP 5,Dress for a Night
Sold out
REBECCA VALLANCE Dionne Lace Up Midi Dress (Green) - RRP 9,Dress for a Night
Sold out


Question 5: How do i use fashion tape  

Yes.. fashion tape is a strong love-hate relationship. However, once you learn how to use it properly trust me, you will never go back. Ensure that you always cut out a strip shorter than the length of the area that you are covering remember that fashion always stretches. Using 3-4 strips is most effective ensuring that you are placing each strip in the same place, Place your breast in position and try to secure. Important tip: make sure you stretch out the tape to ensure there are no lines/bunches within the tape. When using the Dress for a Night fashion tape the best way to remove is in the shower, using water will ensure that you aren’t left with sticky marks in the areas that you taped.

 

 


Question 6: What is semi formal attire?

From my experience, I would say that semi-formal is one of the most common dress codes I have seen, as it falls between casual and formal wear meaning it is suitable for events like weddings, work dinners and cocktail events. Please do not take casually the wrong way, semi-formal is still a dressy event. Much more polished than a smart casual look. When looking for a semi-formal dress I would recommend that less is more, a nice solid-coloured midi dress or set/pansuit that best suits your event. Silk, lace and velvet are common for these events and can add a nice touch of elegance to your outfit. When accessorising you can elevate your outfit by using statement pieces of jewellery or a bag. I will always say that you would rather be overdressed than underdressed however, in these circumstances it is important to not look extravagant. As long as you remember these key points you’ll be set for any semi-formal event!


Semi Formal Dresses

SIR the Label SIR THE LABEL Rei Knot Dress - RRP $399 - 9.png
Sold out
ZIMMERMANN Silk Wrap Midi Dress (Jade Green) - RRP 5,Dress for a Night
Sold out
REBECCA VALLANCE Dionne Lace Up Midi Dress (Green) - RRP 9,Dress for a Night
Sold out


Pro Styling Tips for Perfecting Your Look  

With over 2 years of experience within the fashion and styling industry, I can confidently say that my styling tips will help you pull together your best and most cohesive formal look yet! When choosing a dress for yourself never forget to lose your sense of style, and ensure that your dress highlights your personality whilst suiting the event and yourself. Think about different dress styles, staples, halter, spaghetti straps.. also, what do you want to accentuate? If you want to show off your decolletage a strapless is the perfect way to go. As a part of the broad shoulder committee, I find that a halter formal dress sits on my body the best. Most importantly… please, please, please think about the practicality of your outfit. I have seen one too many dresses get stuck in escalators, comfort is key when finding your right dress. If you are at a wedding for hours and hours the last thing you want is to barely be able to sit down, always do a sit test, and make sure you can walk around comfortably, how does it feel once you put heels on? These are all essential things to think about when choosing your dress.


Why Choose Dress for a Night Styling Services  

Here at dress for a night, the team and I always aim to give our customers the most professional and personalised styling services. With appointments available, our team can assist you with a 45-minute session to curate a collection of dresses suitable for your event. What can be better than that? Not only do we hire dresses but Dress for a Night has just introduced a line of accessories including bags and jewellery and let me just say they are stunning, you’ll never catch me without my DFAN earrings. We would love to see your beautiful faces in the store, appointments are available between Monday - Saturday.

 

DFAN Tip: We have just added a personal styling appointment at our North Sydney Boutique, for $84.99 we will reserve two items of your choice for you to try during your appointment You'll receive a gift bag valued at $119 and a $20 cashback. If you thought it couldn’t get any better. It can. Further inclusions are;

  • Boob tape

  • Fashion tape

  • One piece of 18k Gold Jewellery (your choice)

  • Tim Tam treat



Find Your Instagram-Moment Dress Today

I hope you enjoyed the Q&A! After reading, I hope I have been able to share my extensive knowledge with you. Whether you are worried about boob tape, formal, semi-formal or even shapewear/underwear I am here to answer all of your questions. Now that we all know how to properly style our outfits to get the absolute most out of our dress it’s time to find your perfect dress. What’s better than returning from the styling experts than here at Dress for a Night, from my advice and help from the rest of our beautiful team we will ensure that you look and feel like the most beautiful version of yourself for your event. It's your time to shine!

 

You can find us on socials:

Instagram: @dressforanight

Tiktok: @dressforanight

Facebook: @dressforanight

 

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