Evening dress sizing: what to measure, what to feel and what to leave to the fitting

Two evening dresses with the same size on the label can fit you in completely different ways. One sits snugly at the bust while another leaves room. One has a higher waist and another a lower one. The number on the label is a starting point, not a conclusion. The surest guide is how the dress behaves when you stand, walk and raise your arms.

Why the label isn’t enough

Sizes vary from one cut to the next. It depends on how the pattern was drafted, which fabric was used and how much structure there is in the bodice. A dress with a straight corset wears differently from one with a full skirt and a softer bodice, even if both are marked 40.

So it’s worth coming to your fitting with a sense of your proportions, but without being tied to a number. If you’ve worn a 38 elsewhere, that doesn’t mean 38 is the right place to start here. Try on the size in stock and the one next to it, if available, and compare how each feels.

Bust and shoulders: where everything begins

On an evening dress, the bodice decides whether the outfit stays in place all evening. That’s why you should start there.

• Breathing. Take a deep breath. If the bodice digs in or you can’t breathe normally, it’s too tight. If there’s a gap between the fabric and your skin, it’s too loose.
• The neckline edge. Raise your arms, then move as if to give someone a hug. The neckline shouldn’t gape or shift noticeably.
• Straps and shoulders. The straps shouldn’t slip, and the sleeve, if there is one, should leave your arm free to move. Ask whether the straps can be repositioned.
• The ribcage line. With a corset, check whether it holds evenly or presses in one particular spot.

We’ve covered what a corset supports and how it holds you in a separate piece, our article on the corset of a dress. It’s worth reading before your fitting so you know what to look out for.

Waist and hips: the cut decides

On a dress with a defined waist, the waistline should fall where yours is, not two or three centimetres above or below it. The width can be adjusted, but moving the waistline is a more substantial alteration. So check whether the seam falls naturally before you think about taking it in or letting it out.

Fitted dresses are a different matter: here, the hips and thighs set the size. Take a few long strides, step up a stair if you have the chance, and check whether the fabric stretches, pulls or forms horizontal creases. Creases that appear only when you sit are normal with many fabrics. Those that stay when you stand are worth discussing.

With full skirts, size matters less at the hips and more at the waist. The volume falls from the waist, so the skirt may seem wider than you need without that being a problem.

Fabric changes how a dress feels

The name of a fabric tells you something, but not everything. Stretch taffeta, for instance, has a degree of give, but how much it yields and how well it recovers depends on the weave and on how the bodice is constructed. Lace and embroidery, on the other hand, don’t stretch like the base fabric beneath them, and a layer of chiffon over taffeta can change how the skirt falls.

So don’t rely on the idea that ‘it has some stretch, so it will adapt’. Go by how it feels when the dress is fully fastened, not just half done up at the back.

Between two sizes

It’s a common situation: the bust seems to call for one size, the waist or hips for another. Usually you choose the size that’s simpler to alter. A waist or ribcage line can be taken in more easily than an embroidered bodice or a structured corset can be let out. Still, not every dress allows the same alterations; that depends on the seams, the fabric and the embellishment. Ask directly at your fitting what can be done to the dress you have in front of you.

We’ve written in more detail about length, waist and shoulders in our article on altering an evening dress. Length has nothing to do with size; it comes down to your height and the shoes you’ll wear, so it’s dealt with separately.

What this looks like on real dresses

To make clear what it means to look at the cut rather than just the number, here are two examples from our collection, with details correct at the time of writing.

The Amour 44 evening dress is a jade-green midi in stretch taffeta, with a round neckline and a small slit, a defined waist and a full gored skirt. The current price is shown on the dress’s page; it is in stock in sizes 38, 40 and 42. The defined waist means it’s useful to see exactly where that line falls on you.

The Amour 52 evening dress is also a midi, in navy, with a Chantilly-style lace bodice and three-quarter sleeves, a V-neckline, a defined waist and a full stretch-taffeta skirt. The current price is shown on the dress’s page; it is in stock in size 44. Both can be made to measure in other shades or sizes, and the details are discussed at your fitting.

So if the size in stock doesn’t fit, you also have the option of talking about a made-to-measure order. For alterations to an existing dress, you’ll find information on our evening dress tailoring page.

What to bring to your fitting

• Your shoes, or a pair with the same heel height as the ones you’ll wear.
• The underwear you plan to wear beneath the dress, if you have something particular in mind.
• A short list: where it pinches, where it slips, what shifted when you sat down.
• A few moments to sit, walk and raise your arms, rather than just standing in front of the mirror.

And one thing to remember: how long an alteration takes depends on what’s being changed, not on the size itself. Taking in a waist is quite different from reworking a bodice, so ask about it from the start, not in the final week.

You can browse every style in our evening dress collection and then arrange a fitting through our booking page. At the Alice Design atelier on Calea Moșilor 100, a dress is judged on you, not by its label.