Find your own red carpet moment
Don O’Neill, creative director of Theia, dishes on how to find the right cocktail or gala dress. Trends for spring include pastel shades — with a pale green called silver birch, pastel pink with a silver undertone, florals with blues, light oranges and bronze in beautiful swirling prints. One print has little ballerinas dancing around flowers. “There’s a sense of whimsy and very soft, over-all feeling to the Theia spring collection.”
And red carpet dresses have influenced the dresses you may see in the shops, including more mermaid shapes that elongate the torso with the dress flaring out from below the knee.
That said, O’Neill still favours a dress that flatters the body over a fashion statement that doesn’t do the woman any favours. Start with a great store with a sophisticated and quality selection of dresses and a knowledgeable sales staff. A good dress shop knows a happy customer is its best advertisement. Know your body type and which style of dress looks best on it. If you are pear-shaped, a dress with a fitted waist and a full party skirt will look great on you. If you have no waist definition, a full skirt shape will give you shape. If you have no waist definition and tummy issues, choose an empire style. The dress should fit close to your rib cage, just under your bust, and then the skirt will flow over any problem areas. If you have a full bust, a “V” neckline or sweetheart strapless dress is flattering. Good undergarments are essential to looking good in an evening dress. If you have tummy issues and a few extra lumps and bumps showing through a fitted dress, pull on the Spanx or other support garments. They smooth out lines and firm up your tummy. One bra does not fit all dresses. Visible bra straps are not pretty and all too common. Invest in a bra that is specific to your evening dress, which tends to be lower cut and more revealing than a day dress. Above all, your dress should be comfortable. Spending an evening tugging, pulling your dress or hiking up your strapless dress as it slides down is no fun. “You should be able to forget all about it, until someone draws your attention to it when telling you how gorgeous you look in your Theia gown,’’ O’Neill said in an email. As for long versus short dresses, many factors are at play, including the event, the city and the invitation. In New York and Montreal, many women opt for short dresses for black tie events. However, immediate family always wear long gowns. “The whole philosophy behind Theia is giving every woman the opportunity to have that red carpet moment — that she immediately feels that sense of glamour,” O’Neill said.