Wedding Season Is Approaching: 30 Black-Tie Dresses on My Short List

by Kristen Nichols

With some upcoming weddings on my calendar this summer, I’ve already been thinking about the looks I’ll be wearing. One of the weddings I’ll be attending has a black-tie dress code, which is a welcome excuse to bring out all of the stops and wear a dressed-up look that goes outside of my regular outfits. Less formal than white tie, black-tie attire for women is the most common formal dress code for events, which typically translates to floor-length evening gowns, but can also include formal cocktail dresses and elegant suiting.

I’ve been scouring the latest drops from designers to figure out the piece I’ll be wearing and have some front-runners ranging from a sculptural maxi from Christopher Esber to a strapless dupioni dress from Toteme to an open-back design from Proenza Schouler. There are many more contenders, though. Ahead, see the black-tie wedding guest dresses that are currently on my short list.