How To: Shop & Get the Most out of Your Evening Dress

  Don't we ladies want to shine like a star and feel glamorous at a formal event? I know I do because there are not that many opportunities for me to go glam...beautify myself and feel this sense of femininity. This is when the evening dresses come to play.    
Left: Jovani | Right: Alyce Designs
(I am SO in love with these two beauties!!)  
Over the years, I have attended quite a few formal night functions both in the states and in Bangkok with half of those events are being classified under “extravaganza” category. One of the biggest weddings I ever attended in my life was one of my former boss, who married the daughter of a politician. This particular grand wedding was held at a 5 star hotel in downtown Bangkok with approximately 1,000 guests in attendance. They had an entire floor reserved for the night. I got to see politicians, models, actors and actresses, including a prime minister of Thailand in an up close and personal manner (almost). It was a top notch wedding, lavishly and beautifully decorated. Everybody looked absolutely glamorous. Thank god, I dressed properly for the night…phew!! Awkward moment dismissed!!     Left: Tadashi Shoji - gotta LOVE lace! | Right: La Femme - gorgeous color and dreamy silhoutte

Evening dresses are such big deal to us ladies. They are the stars of the night. They are the subject of conversation and the lasting impressing. Let’s face it - most evening dresses are quite expensive. Prices ususally starts from $100 and beyond what you want to pay for. Last thing you want is to pay for it and wear your pretty dress “once”. I know that most ladies face this dilemma when it comes to purchasing such dress, including myself in the past. We don’t want to be spotted wearing in the same dress everywhere so buying a new dress for every event sounds like an inevitable and painful option. That is not worth the cost per wear if you rarely attend formal parties unless you have big budget to shell out.

Year after year…

Event after event…

Evening dress after evening dress....

I am not a pro but am constantly learning from my fashion and financial mishap as I mature with age and style. Two most important things I look for in an evening dress are “elegance” and “practicality” - yet youthful and age-appropriate in my book.  

  Left: NightMoves by Allure - (what a fun dress! Great for daytime.) Right: Mon Cheri Montage - very elegant and feminine     Each event always put an ultimate challenge on me - a girl with a small and limited wardrobe who doesn’t want to spend a fortune. It tests my ability to be creative and resourceful with my choice so I can wear the same old dress to as many events as possible.

It is easier to find dresses that double its functionality as daytime and nighttime dress because there are plenty of clever ways to play around to make it look glam enough for evening event ,such as; adding proper accessories such as handbags, necklace and so on. However, an ultimate challenge is upon you when you have to transform an evening dress for a day look.  

  Left: Faviana (deep rich purple color)| Right: Mon Cheri (mysterious and alluring)    
With holiday celebrations coming right up in just a few months, I would like to share some tips on how to choose an evening dress that you can double its duties to a day dress and wear it more than one time. 
1) Stick with solid colored dress - avoid large bling bling, ornaments, sequin or reflective materials.

2) Choose an evening dress with appropriate length, avoid dresses that are too long so you can wear for daytime event. Later on you can even have it altered (by shortening the lenght) and turn it into a sun dress even! (this is why I suggest you to avoid sequin or bling bling material, and opt for solid color - lace also looks great for daytime).

3) Double point: if your dress has two separate pieces (top and bottom), that is even better! You can mix and match with other pieces in your closet.   ************************************************************   This post is sponsored by MissesDressy. The content and tips are 100% original and of my own. I received a form of monetary compensation for writing this post.