Do black tie dresses need to be a solid colour or is a print acceptable?

[Evenstar]

I have been invited to a black tie party and wondered if dresses have to be a solid colour. I have found a dress in a peacock print with sparkles that I love and I know it would really suit me. It’s full length with really dramatic bell sleeves. Would it be acceptable?

Print is fine, but I wouldn’t say that’s a black tie dress. It’s not formal enough. You want a ‘gown’.

Agree. Print is fine, but that dress looks very informal.

Any better? Comes in gold or silver

Second one is better

I go to loads of black tie events and for about half of them either of your dresses would be acceptable. It would help to know what the event was as that would help steer the advice.

That's probably fair about the type of event. I wear the same few black dresses to the various art/literary/music things that are where I'm mostly dealing with a black tie dresscode.

I think I was just swayed by having seen something superficially similar to the dress the OP first showed being worn last weekend at the local farmers' market with a cardigan and Birkenstocks. The woman looked lovely, but formal it was not.

@Londonmummy66 it’s a wedding anniversary party which will be in a large marquee, sit down meal and a band. The first one is much more me and my favourite colours

The first one is way too casual and not suitable at all
the second one is much better

It looks like it is this one. Looks very dramatic and I would wear it to an event like the one you are going to.

Sorry @Daughn can’t see a picture

Peacock dress

Sorry, perhaps the image got blocked. And I can't make a link work. There's a video of a behind the scenes of Dawn O'Porter wearing the dress and it looks lovely.

It does look beautiful on I think

Oh, if it's just a family party with a meal and dancing, I'd say pretty much anything goes. I mean, it's not the Met Gala. Wear what you think suits you and you feel comfortable in.

I think the green one is too informal.

If its a family anniversary party and a marquee and black tie dress code are requested then I'd double check with the hosts and a couple of other guests to see what they are wearing. These things are always harder to negotiate than third party events where you can usually google photos from previous years. My gut instinct would be that the family members want the event to be glamorous - hence the marquee and dress code in which case I'd veer towards the latter but if you really prefer the green dress I'd double check with the organiser.

Thank you @Londonmummy66 I will try and discreetly sound out what others are wearing, I think I may have to wear something that I don’t love and probably won’t wear again to fit in. It’s very difficult to get right, I am over 60 and this is only the second black tie event that I have attended thankfully!

This is the dress.

It's perfectly fine for black tie consisting of a formal sit down dinner. It's much nicer than the drab gold thing.

I go to lots of black tie dos. Other than events described as "balls" where I've worn actual ball gowns, I don't think I've ever worn "a gown"

Joannie dress

Dull. The Joannie one is nicer and more glamourous.

Oh thank you @IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle, as it was BNWT on Vinted and not expensive I have bought it anyway in case I didn’t see another one!

I will try it on when it arrives and see what I think ☺️, I really want to wear it and think it looks so different on with lovely accessories

Oh - it looked like a cocktail length dress - if it is ankle length then I think it is fine if you dress it up with some evening shoes and earrings etc.

OP - you might like to consider renting a dress if you don't want to shell out of something you won't wear again - in fact I think you can rent this one?

@Londonmummy66 I have actually bought it on Vinted BNWT, thank you so much for coming back and reassuring me it’s OK

If it helps this is the dress I wore to a black tie dinner in March. Upmarket city hotel, organised as a fund raising event by a private members' club. I'm shorter than the model in the first linkso looked more like the second.

Sister Jane

https://images.app.goo.gl/uTpoknTTmPX7zB6AA

Thank you @IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle, that makes me feel that mine should be fine 💐

@Evenstar - so long as the acessories are formal it should work - assuming you will want to be comfortable on the dance floor a pair of gold ballet flats like these would work - try M&S?

a gold bag you can hang off your wrist to manage nibbles and a glass of fizz https://www.riverisland.com/p/gold-metal-grab-bag-927144

Some drop feather earrings would be fun to reference the pattern - this sort of thing https://www.henryka.co.uk/products/feather-hook-earrings-in-silver-with-24ct-gold