The art of dressing well starts with figuring out which pieces in your wardrobe are true staples and working around them. Too often, special occasions can feel like an excuse to buy a new outfit; weddings are the worst offenders. It’s easy to think you need to pick up a dedicated dress for each different invitation. Trust us, though: The staple you actually need to build a versatile formalwear wardrobe around is one of the simplest—a slip dress.
How to Style a Slip Dress for a Wedding, According to Vogue
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Look for something neutral, in a mid-to-long silhouette (the most useful for the most number of dress codes)—for this exercise, we’re using a floor-skimming gown in a cool charcoal. Cut on the bias, it skims the body rather than clinging to it, and its quiet shade takes on the character of whatever you pair with it. At a daytime—or more casual—celebration, a single statement accessory can be enough. As the formality climbs, additional pieces, like glittering tennis earrings or a silk pashmina, can up the polish. Think of a slip dress as the wedding guest equivalent of great jeans: an investment you’ll reach for again and again.
Ahead, we’ve styled the staple slip for five very different weddings, from a garden soirée to a black-tie fête. Prefer something in a splashier shade? Scroll on for an edit of more wedding guest slip dresses that are just as versatile.
