Wedding outfit for a black tie do in Portugal in July

[NewcastleNancy]

I am looking for a long dress that is cool to wear. Probably in a bright colour.

I am 5.7 and a size 8. Blond.

Any suggestions please?

Absolutely - black tie is elegant evening attire, not ball gowns (it can be cocktail dresses or even jumpsuits).

It's worn there with flats, but imagine it with metallic heels & a clashing fuchsia clutch - or whatever your taste is in accessories! Long earrings or necklaces etc.

That would look gorgeous!

Also gorgeous, & high-necked - but you prefer sleeves?

https://www.meandem.com/beautifully-draped-full-length-dress-eden-green

Not sure if you will consider prints or prefer plain? This is silk & a lovely colour & shape (though I'd still prefer the print of the Liberty one!!).

https://rixolondon.com/products/ordinia-dress-ibiza-night-teal

I also really like this - the open back makes it suitable for summer, but it's high-necked too.

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/rotate-birger-christensen-embellished-puff-sleeve-maxi-dress-green-p00832462

Not sure if pink is your colour ...?

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/staud-tiered-tulle-gown-pink-p01074627

Another very glam one by Self-Portrait. As long as you don't have the kind of friends or partner who would slip ice-cubes down your knickers ...

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/self-portrait-fil-coupe-open-back-maxi-dress-gold-p01075003

@NewcastleNancy Farm Rio? Usually vibrant. Silk in a light colour could be problematic. Won’t it be hot? Boden would probably have something suitable.

I would say that a July evening in Portugal would still be fairly hot. But the OP wants something that is:

• A bright colour (green/red/orange/yellow);
• High-necked;
• Preferably with some sort of sleeve or cover-up; and
• At the dressier more full-on end of dresses that are suitable for black tie affairs.

At least, that's how I've interpreted what she's said so far!!

And though she said she'd like something cool, she also doesn't sweat much - so I assumed silk would be fine. And other fabrics if the cut is airy enough.

It's actually quite a tricky one, as summer evening gowns usually equal strappy/halter neck etc!!

Another vibrant option - orange or yellow. Personally I'd rather pay that for silk though, not polyester ...

https://www.revolve.com/zhivago-bond-gown-in-flame/dp/ZHIR-WD134/

I like the dress you've ordered, OP - though it is navy!!!

Would you consider vintage? I mean proper 1930s onwards?

You'd have to check measurements carefully, but I used to always wear proper vintage gowns to evening/glam dos. There are a few great places here in Edinburgh, but you might have some where you live? Some examples of the kind of things available to buy online in a small size.

1960s full-length brocade https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4307777727/?ref=share_ios_native_control

Also 60s, regency-influenced.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4370163550/?ref=share_ios_native_control

This one is fabulous! Silk chiffon couture - yes it's low at the neck, but if you look at the runway photo it is being modelled back to front in the other pics?!!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4333420232/?ref=share_ios_native_control

I wore this to a black tie evening wedding in Italy.

No sleeves but it does have a high neck.
https://saloniworld.com/products/michelle-dress-in-piazza-ombre

And I had this as a cover up - not quite a pashmina, although I guess a bit close.
https://bernadetteantwerp.com/en-gb/products/shawl-shirene-grey

That's lovely. I like a lot of the skirts & gowns by Bernadette too, though they're costly!! But very dramatic ...

This is pretty damn fabulous - a vintage stretch silk Sue Wong dress that's still really contemporary. You could add a little gold 30s type evening jacket.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4328791951/?ref=share_ios_native_control

@EleanorMc67Silk really marks with any sweat and my winter gloves are lined with silk. It’s actually quite warm! High neck is an issue for a warm evening. I wonder if cotton might be better - some high end designers use cotton. Definitely not polyester.

Yes, that's why it's actually really tricky to tick all the OP's boxes! Though she has already ordered one of the Reformation dresses posted, in navy silk, which is sleeveless with a chiffon sort-of-cape.

The cotton ones that were posted first aren't evening-y enough for her liking - & it's actually really difficulty to find something that is both an elegant summer evening dress AND cotton! Most of the ones out there, despite being a few hundred pounds upwards, are synthetic - viscose, polyester etc. I've tried to post silk as it IS findable in an evening dress.

Personally, especially with a good anti-perspirant, I've never found silk to be much of an issue in the heat, even the items with sleeves. And the OP said she doesn't sweat much. So it seems to be either silk or synthetic ...

@EleanorMc67 Agree it’s tricky!

High neck, long sleeves, green & orange/red, ankle length ... I really like the drama of it - it's very 70s evening wear! Viscose & polyester though ...

https://florere.com/products/floral-print-column-maxi-dress

Maybe that's why the OP has ordered the first one she liked the look of!!!

Always better to have a few options though - & I do like a challenge!!!

If thank you but I’m half a grand down now on that dress - and nowhere to wear the bloody thing.

Oh I'm so jealous though!!! Manufacture an occasion? Renewal of vows ... dinner at a posh restaurant ... & isn't it a bit of a thing now to get married to yourself if you're single ...??!!!

This is zingy yellow silk crepe de chine, neck-to-floor column shape, cap sleeved ... definitely no bra though!!

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/sir-isla-silk-crepe-de-chine-gown-orange-p01130942