The top half sparkles and the bottom half swings

Silver sequin work runs across the bodice and all the way down both sleeves, embroidered in a swirling leaf motif onto a sheer mesh ground. You can see straight through the mesh between the motifs, which is exactly the point: the sequins read as if they are floating on the arm. Underneath, an opaque panel covers the body, so only the sleeves and the shoulders are actually see through.

From the waist down it changes register completely. A wide swinging skirt in a satin faced weave, cut full enough to move on its own, dropping to the floor and opening on a slit at the front. A narrow belt in the matching colour with a square covered buckle marks the join. The maker gives the weight at 0.8 kg, which is what a skirt with this much cloth in it comes to.

Key Benefits

• Sequins on mesh, not on solid cloth The motif is embroidered onto a sheer ground, which is why the sleeves catch light instead of sitting heavy on the arm.
• Lantern sleeves Full through the forearm and gathered into a plain cuff at the wrist, so the volume stops where your hand starts.
• A skirt with real sweep Cut wide and long, hitting the floor, with a slit at the front that lets you take a full stride.
• Opaque under the sequins A solid panel sits behind the bodice mesh, so the transparency is on the sleeves and shoulders, not across your body.
• Sizes L to 3XL in three colours Champagne, pink and blue, each with the same silver sequin work and a belt in the matching shade.

Best for: Weddings, receptions and any evening with a long dress code, and anyone who wants sparkle concentrated on the top half rather than covering the whole dress.

Why It Works

Sequinning a whole floor length dress makes it heavy and makes it shout. Putting the sequins on a mesh bodice and leaving the skirt plain does the opposite: the weight stays low, the light stays at eye level, and the plain satin skirt gives the sequins somewhere quiet to sit against. The lantern cuff matters more than it looks, because a sheer sleeve with an open end drags on everything, and this one closes at the wrist.

Quick Product Facts: Silver sequin embroidery on sheer mesh across bodice and sleeves; opaque under panel on the bodice; V neckline; lantern sleeves gathered to a plain cuff; satin faced woven skirt cut wide with a front slit; matching belt with a square covered buckle shown on every colour; floor length; weight 0.8 kg per the maker; sizes L, XL, 2XL and 3XL; ships as one dress per the packing list.

How It Fits Your Routine

This is a dress you put on late and take off later, not one that lives in daytime rotation. Give yourself the mirror check on the sleeves before you leave, because the mesh sits differently once you have your arms through it than it does on the hanger.

Watch what the slit does when you sit rather than when you stand. On a floor length skirt with this much cloth, sitting is where the opening moves, and a minute in a chair at home answers the question better than a mirror does.

Hang it, and hang it on something wide. Sequin work on mesh is the part that pulls if it takes the weight of a full satin skirt on a thin wire hanger. Follow the sewn in care label for washing.

FAQ

Is the bodice lace or mesh? It is sequin embroidery worked onto a fine sheer mesh ground, with the silver motif floating between the open weave. That is what gives the sleeves their see through sparkle.

Does the belt come with it? The photographs style the dress with a matching belt and a square covered buckle. The packing list is the dress itself, so plan your look around the dress and add a belt in the matching shade if you want that finished waist.

Are the sleeves see through? Yes. The mesh ground between the sequin motifs is transparent on the sleeves and across the shoulders, while an opaque panel sits behind the body of the bodice, so the sheer effect stays on the arms and shoulders.

What is the fabric? Sequin embroidery on sheer mesh across the bodice and sleeves, and a satin faced weave in the skirt cut wide enough to swing on its own. The sparkle sits up top and the drape sits below.