Ghaliya Dress: Sequin Tulle A Line Maxi with Flared Sleeves

A long dress in tulle embroidered with multi coloured sequins, set against panels of matt georgette down each side. The sequins carry the light and the georgette absorbs it, so the dress shifts between bright and quiet as you move rather than shining uniformly.

The neckline is round, the sleeves fall below the elbow and flare, and the dress releases into a clean A line from the hip. Lined throughout in soft rayon.

Available in Black and Beige. The model is 172 cm and wears a size S.

Why georgette at the sides rather than sequins all over?

Because an all over sequin dress has no shape to it. Light bounces off every part equally and the eye cannot find the waist. Putting a matt fabric down each side breaks that up, so the sequins read across the front and back while the sides stay quiet and narrow. It is the same principle as a dark panel in tailoring, and it is the reason this dress flatters a wider range of figures than sequins usually do.

Black or beige, which should I choose?

Black is the safer and the more formal of the two. The sequins sit on a dark ground, so the colour only appears where light catches it, and the dress reads as a dark gown with movement in it. Beige is the softer choice and much more unusual. The sequins sit on a pale ground, so the whole dress glows rather than sparkles, and it photographs beautifully in warm light. For a black tie evening we would take the black. For a daytime wedding running into the evening, the beige.

What do the flared sleeves do when I raise my arm?

They fall back, which is worth knowing before dinner. The sleeve is cut narrow at the shoulder and opens below the elbow, so lifting your arm lets the fabric drop towards your elbow rather than staying at the wrist. At the table that means your sleeve will not sit in your plate, which is more than can be said for most flared sleeves. Reaching high will show the forearm.

Can I sit through a long dinner in sequins comfortably?

Yes, and the georgette panels are part of why. Sequins are embroidered onto the front and back of the dress, not at the sides, so what sits against you where you bend and lean is the soft fabric rather than the embroidery. The whole dress is lined in rayon as well, so nothing embroidered touches your skin at any point.

How should a dress with two fabrics be cleaned?

Dry clean only, and say when you hand it in that it is embroidered tulle with georgette panels. The two fabrics behave differently under heat, and a cleaner who knows that will press the georgette and steam the tulle rather than treating the whole dress the same way. Hang it rather than folding it, and give it a day on the hanger before an event to let the skirt drop.

If you would like the same sequin work in a tiered shape with sheer sleeves, the Jumana Dress does it in black. Both sit in our evening gowns.