Fashion: Getting dressed for the occasion

May 8 2008 by Emma Pinch, Liverpool Daily Post

Emma Pinch shows you how to get the glam factor for an evening out

Above left: Dusky pink dress and shrug by Dynasty Ascot collection, £148 with Champ Betty Davis bag, £45, in twisted orchid. Above right: Lime green full length dress and wrap by Dynasty Prom Collection £199. Krystal necklace £35.

WHILE acres of emerald chiffon and diamante starbursts are all very well on dance contestants of either the Strictly Come or On Ice variety, neither are exactly right for a real-life evening gown occasion.

To hit the spot with evening wear, you need to tiptoe the line of being bold with length, colour and patterns, without straying over into Liberace territory.

Above left: Black and porcelain tulle bolero bodice and skirt, £495, Veni Infantino by Ronald Joyce with silver Dice clutch bag £29. Above right: Ivory floral Dynasty dress £225 by Dynasty Exclusive Evening Wear with shrug.

The golden age of glamorous evening wear was the 30s and 40s, and women then knew that wraps, shrugs and exquisitely decorated bags all help ramp up the glam factor.

Unless you’re one half of teenage twins, originality is also vital. No woman likes to go to a special event and find they’ve inadvertently come as one of a matching pair.

Above left: Veni Infantino coffee dress and shrug £329 and champ Betty Davis bag, £45, in twisted orchid. Above right: Dusky pink dress and shrug by Dynasty Ascot collection, £148 with Champ Betty Davis bag, £45, in twisted orchid.

At Galiana, in Heswall, you have to spend some time searching for the right dress because you won’t find more than one or two sizes of any design there. The gowns are sourced in Spain, Italy and the US, which also means you’re less likely to find other people in an identical design.

THIS week’s fashion shoot takes place at Gusto, in Heswall, Wirral. The restaurant’s decor is 1950s New York Italian and an eating area stud-ded with real olive trees, strewn with fairy lights, give it a sultry terrazzo feel. Food is classic and contemporary Italian and there is a patio for al fresco eating and drinking.

Notes

Location: Gusto, 146-148, Telegraph Road, Heswall, Wirral, tel: 0151 342 9009.

Model: Amy, of EKA, tel: 01925 761083

Hair and make-up: Andrew Collinge, 127, Telegraph Road, Heswall, tel: 0151 709 9542)

Photographer: Richard Williamson

Hair and make-up: Andrew Collinge, 127, Telegraph Road, Heswall, tel: 0151 709 9542

Stockists: Galiana, 5, Downham Rd South, Heswall, Wirral, tel: 0151 342 9009

emma.pinch@dailypost.co.uk