Best Women Black Dress Reviews 2020

Let’s talk about the interesting issue of price. For many of us, this determines whether a dress gets a second look or not, and it’s understandable; who’d want to exceed their budget because of a dress—no matter how beautiful? But the thing is this: many beautiful dresses come with a budget-friendly price tag, and what’s more, they’re made with high-quality fabrics and are well-tailored too.

So, why do some dresses cost a limb and a half? There are a number of reasons, such as the quality of the fabric, the skill level of the designers, tailors, the materials (embellishments), and the all-too-obvious issue of the exclusivity of the brand. Some designer brands only carry exclusively upscale clothing, while there are others that have dresses for different price brackets.

The dresses we reviewed here fall in a $25 to $200 price range, and trust us when we say black dresses can be sold for much, much higher. There are cheap women’s black dresses as well, true; but we’re trying to avoid sartorial fiascos here, aren’t we?

We all want to find a dress that’ll make us feel like a million dollars without having to go through dozens that don’t. We’ve listed a few things you should look for in a dress before paying for it.

• The dress type
• Neckline
• Hemline
• Sleeve type
• Fabric
• Size
• Care

We’ll elaborate on these shortly.

Dress Type

It has been said over and over that it’s best to consider your body shape when choosing a dress—and it’s been true each time. Dresses come in all the types of fabric under God’s sun and they’ve been cut and sewn into just as many styles. There are, however, basic shapes or silhouettes that form the bases for all designs; we have the ball gown/bell (depending on the length), A-line, sheath, mermaid, empire, column, balloon silhouettes, and more. While some of these shapes are meant to work with our body shapes, some exist completely for the sake of fashion. That a particular style is trendy doesn’t mean it’s for you; so, choose silhouettes that’ll only hold you in all the right places.

Neckline

While some necklines are high, others can be modest or daringly low. The choice of the neckline depends on you and your body shape. While deep necklines can work wonders for a top-heavy woman, it’s a universally flattering neckline as it elongates the body and draws attention to the face. A wide V-neck balances out the body for bottom-heavy shapes as it opens up the chest. The scoop or round neckline is another popular one for those of us with narrow shoulders as it creates an illusion of width—and for the pears, it also creates the impression of a fuller bust. Sweetheart necklines create depth and are great for the top-heavy lasses (here’s a tip for this group of females: look for a sweetheart neckline and an empire waistline, thank us later). There’s a number of other necklines such as turtle necks, strapless, asymmetrical, etc.

Sleeves

The sleeves are next; there are a whole lot of sleeve styles out there, but it’s the length that’s basic. We have sleeveless dresses; these can have straps or be strapless. Straps differ by their widths, and can be really thin, as in spaghettis, medium, or wide. Medium sleeves and wide sleeves work well for narrow shoulders, while thinner straps are best for top-heavy women. After the straps, we have sleeves and they differ basically in length, from cap sleeves to short sleeves to three-quarter sleeves to long sleeves.

Hemline

Now, on to the hemline; there are different hemlines, including the floor length, ankle length, tea length, knee length, and mini hemlines. Basically, the type determines the hemline; for instance, a floor-length hemline will fit beautifully for a black-tie gala or ball, but a mini hemline would be starkly out of place. If it’s a party or a red-carpet movie premier, a mini would be suitable—the trick with the mini hemline is to wear it properly, otherwise what could have been alluring will end up trashy.

Fabric

The fabric is also of importance as it adds to the overall look of the dress. It also determines how the dress is going to be cared for. It can be synthetic (e.g. chiffon, polyester, acrylic, nylon, velvet, etc.) or natural (e.g. cotton, wool, linen, silk, leather, etc.). A dress can also be a combination of different fabrics; the most important thing is to go for fabric that is comfortable and easy to care for.

Size

Picking the right-sized dress is also important as you don’t want to have to go through your event pulling or tugging on your dress. Another scary scenario is one where you’d have to breathe carefully all for fear that exhaling might pop a button or break a seam, or simply because there just isn’t any room in the dress. Consult the size charts provided on the brand’s website or on the store’s. Always read other people’s reviews as it can be very helpful too. One good tip we’ll leave you with is this: if you’re going to wear a bra, make sure it’s a good one as it can make or mar your entire look.