The Four Questions To Ask Before You Choose Your Dress

When a client tells me she has an event coming up, I ask four important questions.

What’s the event? City or island? Day or evening? Will it be held inside or out?

What is the event?

We dress many people for many different events; mainly engagements, weddings, birthdays, baby showers and black tie. Guests and mothers of the bride are who we are dressing most at the moment for wedding season, and a handful of styles keep finding their way to them.

The Moonlight Maxi is the one people ask for. It has dreamy, flouncy short sleeves and flows with the body beautifully and is glamorous and elegant in a vintage kind of way. Florals are the choice for summer weddings, and many people choose the Moonlight Maxi in solid black for black tie events. One mother of the bride told us she chose it because she wanted something that covered her upper arms without the dress being cut from heavy fabric and decorated with sequins and bows like so many currently on the market.

If you like sleeveless dresses but prefer to wear a bra, the Harper has slightly thicker straps than a regular slip dress and is high enough in the back, therefore bra friendly. Most of our slip dresses are not cut super low in the back, so a good strapless bra works very well underneath.

And if you prefer a strapless dress that isn’t tight across the stomach, the I'm A Superstar maxi dress is an absolute must. So many women love this style as it’s bias-cut and extremely flattering on every body shape and height. It’s a style that’s always available on our site in our newest prints - some women have this style in all 6 prints as it suits them so well.

City or island?

City dressing calls for elegance, jewellery, heels and possibly a glamorous faux fur coat or jacket.

An island event at a resort or beach is no less glamorous but more simple with a stunning dress, wild flowing hair, shimmering skin and a good slick of lip gloss.

Day or evening?

I would usually suggest a printed dress for day and one in a solid silk or low back for evening. Our LOLITA MAXI dresses or MYSTERIOUS WAYS MAXI dresses are perfect for a daytime event and the VISION OF LOVE maxi, HARLEY maxi with its low back or BAMBI knee length dress with its low back & cross backed straps are perfect.

If your event runs from afternoon into evening, choose for the evening and add a cool tuxedo jacket to carry you from day into night.

Inside or out?

A marquee on grass calls for a hem that will not trail and a heel that will not sink. A garden in the heat calls for something that moves with you. An air-conditioned room lets you wear whatever you love.

Getting the size right

There’s nothing worse than ordering a dress, waiting for it to arrive and finding it doesn’t fit correctly. Every design is fitted on me before it goes on the site, and my size doesn’t fluctuate, so our sizing is consistent across all styles.

Every new customer that orders receives an email from us before her order ships confirming her dress size.

We offer complimentary custom alterations so if you need a strap, sleeve or dress length longer or shorter than our standard length we’ll alter it for you before it ships.

For a wedding with a fixed date, give yourself time:

• Orders take 3 to 4 business days to process, custom pieces take a further 3 - 4 days to alter then standard DHL delivery is 4 to 10 business days (our shipping information page has the details for your country).

• Returns can be requested within 30 days of receiving a full-priced order. *Custom-made pieces cannot be returned, and sale pieces are final.

• Refunds carry a US$20 handling fee. Exchanges or credit notes do not.

• If you are in Bali, you can order with us online and we’ll deliver complimentary to your villa or hotel or see us at the Bali studio by appointment only, for the full collection, fittings and personal styling.

Browse all of our maxi dresses or our slip dresses. If you’re unsure or have any questions, email customerservice@littlejoewoman.com before you order.

Gail Elliott
Gail Elliott is the creative director and co-founder of Little Joe Woman, which she started in New York in 2003 after years as a model during the supermodel era. She designs for women like herself who have a strong sense of personal style, and every piece is fitted on her and made perfect before it goes on the site.