Black columnsVs Gold sheaths

dresses always, without fail, conjure images of mysterious liaisons and secret love affairs. They’re fascinating in their unending chic, and their very length is their most alluring feature. Nothing says luxury like excess does, after all.

This season’s lineup of statuesque column gowns (they’re called that in reference to the silhouette they mimic: A towering pillar of fabric) is culled from many designers. There are risqué, embellished versions from Naeem Khan and Oscar de la Renta, with slits up the front, and a Japanese-looking, full-sleeved one from Federico Piaggi and Stefano Citron at Gianfranco Ferré. The favourite at the Bazaar office though, hands down, was the nun-like, sequinned gown from Valentino’s talented duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. It’s perfect in its proportions, and needs only a small clutch to complete the look.

And that’s the real beauty of a long black gown, really. It needs so very little, and gives so much in return. And in this, it is like an ideal love. The only one you can buy.

with gold, the best sheath dresses of the season seem to mix the prudish, below-the-knee lengths of the ’50s and the embellished excesses of the ’30s.

Technically, a sheath is a dress that follows the contours of the body. And this simple silhouette has made an appearance in some of fall’s best collections. Dolce & Gabbana, of course, have redefined the style with mosaic prints and embroideries taken right out of the Byzantine era. Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton married a jacket with a dress, and cinched the result at the waist with a slim belt.

As a party dress, there is no mistaking the versatility of this simple uniform. It gives you an amazingly wide field to play with. Want to add some quirk? You could try on some interesting pantyhose. Bored of wearing it by itself? Layer on a long coat like Miuccia did at Prada. And that’s not all. Any, absolutely any, kind of jewellery will go with a golden sheath. Don’t believe it? Try it out for yourself. From a big brooch to a multi-chained necklace, there’s nothing this dress can’t take.