Ask an Event Stylist: Your Formal Dress Questions Answered

This is the most common question I receive—what is formal attire? Well, 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 the perfect way to elevate your outfit and add a touch of sophistication. A high-quality bag can instantly enhance your look, making a statement without overpowering your dress. When choosing jewellery, consider the hardware details on your dress—matching metals and finishes will create a polished, elegant look from head to toe.

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 shawl. 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.

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, ensuring 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, high-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!

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!

Many people have a love-hate relationship with fashion tape. However, once you learn how to use it properly, 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 it.

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 it is in the shower–using water will ensure that you aren’t left with sticky marks in the areas that you taped.

Bonus tip: On the side of our DFAN tape, there is a diagram of different placement options to ensure it suits the style of your dress!

From my experience, semi-formal is one of the most common dress codes, striking the perfect balance between casual and formal wear. It’s a go-to choice for events like work dinners, cocktail parties and certain weddings.

But don’t let the word "casual" fool you—semi-formal still calls for a polished and stylish 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 too extravagant. As long as you remember these key points you’ll be all set for any semi-formal event!

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.

Here at Dress for a Night, the team and I always aim to give our customers the most professional and personalised styling services.

With 45-minute styling appointments available, we’ll curate a selection of dresses tailored to your event—because finding your dream look should be effortless and fun!And it gets even better— not only do we hire out stunning dresses, but we’ve also introduced a gorgeous range of accessories, including bags and jewellery. Trust me, they’re absolute showstoppers—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