If you’re buying by yard sale standards, a good gold sequin dress will whisper before it shouts. Before it catches the light, it needs something underneath to catch your eye, and that comes down to the base cloth as much as the discs sewn on top of it. Directly stitched sequins on a stretch mesh or fine jersey fabric will hug your curves and move with you, fused sequins on something as stiff as taffeta will hold it shape pretty much whatever you’re doing underneath them. Both are useful things but it’s worth considering the difference when you think about how the dress will actually move, not just stand, on a dance floor. Pick a dress that uses a graduated or matte sequin too rather than a uniform shiny disc; that subtle difference is what gives the dress depth rather than making the whole thing look like a flat sheet of gold.
Fit is where most gold sequin dresses fall down.
Too baggy and it defeats the point because the fabric needs something to catch against to play with the light.
Pay attention to construction when you shop. Look for boning at the bust, a lining that fits the shape of the outer layer, and a weighted hem that won’t lift when you sit down.
And on the note of hem: length is less important than how the bottom edge is built. A tiny dress with a firm, weighted hem will stay put all night longer than a mid-calf number that flips up with every step.
Wearing one is largely about knowing when to stop.
Resist the temptation to throw on more shine across your outfit because gold sequins are doing all the work. Keep everything else simple. A classic black coat, a basic court shoe, hairstyles worn back and off your face, all those things will ensure the dress is your centerpiece. Go metallic with your accessories if you must but stick to the same warm gold tone and keep it small; a cuff or a drop earrings rather than earrings, necklace, bracelets and a belt to match.
Gold sequins work for any night time occasion where dressing down feels like a wasted opportunity. Weekend celebrations, birthdays, New Year, anytime the implicit rule is literally “to be seen”. They’re less versatile when it comes to dinners where you’ll be sitting down for more than thirty minutes at a time, as the discs are prone to catching and coming loose. Get it right and a gold sequin dress is a mainstay piece that will outstay its welcome for multiple seasons, but only if you treat it – and shop for it – as something more than just shiny crap.
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