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Column, A-Line or Ball: What an Evening Skirt's Shape Does to a Dress

Most of an evening dress's outline is the skirt. A column falls straight, an A-line widens from the waist and a ball skirt is full, and each one changes how the dress moves, how it sits and how it copes with stairs.

Pick a shape or drag the hem handle to see how wide the hem sweeps and what that means for steps, stairs and sitting. Then match the shape to the room and the fabric.

Explainer · 4 min read

Three simple dress outlines side by side: a narrow column skirt, a widening A-line skirt and a full ball skirt

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Affiliate links, marked sponsored. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Pieces in the same spirit as the look, not the exact items worn. Prices checked 14 Oct; every shop is on each product page.

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