White dresses long, midi or short, in ivory, off-white and cream

White maxi dresses with sleeves

Every long design here has long sleeves as drawn, finished differently at the wrist: the Wildflower’s balloon sleeves gather into a cuff, the Royal Blue Yoke and the Emerald Rose end in embroidered cuffs that show whenever your hands are in a photo, and the Ginkgo carries its leaves round the cuff. Sleeves can be made wider or slimmer, shortened to three quarter length or left off altogether. Send your upper arm and wrist measurements so a long sleeve moves with you. Summer dresses with sleeves has more on keeping cool with your arms covered.

A flowy white maxi dress, or a plain one

For a skirt that moves as you walk, the Wildflower is gathered at the waist while the Royal Blue Yoke and the Emerald Rose flare out from the bodice, so all three swing instead of clinging. If you want a white embroidered dress, every one of the ten carries embroidery, lace, a print or a woven pattern.

For a long white dress with no decoration at all, look at the long sleeve seamed maxi dress. It is listed in six darker colours, but its own page offers a colour outside those six, so ask about white and your quote will say whether it can be done. Our maxi dresses page has more long shapes in other colours.

White short dresses with sleeves

Sleeves are what most people add to a short white dress, for a church, a mosque, an office, or simply because they prefer their arms covered. Choose puffed short sleeves on the off-white frock, sheer flutter sleeves on the gold lace frock, puffed elbow sleeves on the brocade frock, or the Lilac’s full length gathered sleeves on a dress that ends below the knee. Every frock can be given a different sleeve length, so the brocade frock with sleeves to the wrist is an ordinary request.

White midi dresses with sleeves

For a white midi dress with long sleeves, the Wisteria and the Lilac, both made on a white base, are the obvious pair. The Wisteria’s fitted top and flared skirt suit a party or a dinner, while the Lilac’s tiers are softer and kinder over a long afternoon. The Ginkgo Wrap at midi length on white ties at the waist, so you decide how close it sits. Our midi dresses and long sleeve dresses show more shapes in other colours.

Or no sleeves at all

Any dress on this page can be made sleeveless for a hot holiday or a summer party. Pick Sleeveless on the order form or write it in the changes box, and it is confirmed in your quote. Send an armhole measurement with the rest, so the edge sits close against you, and see how to cover your arms in a sleeveless dress for evenings that turn cool.

Testing a white against your skin

Hold something white, a shirt or a sheet of paper, under your chin by a window and look at your face rather than the white. A shade that leaves your skin looking grey or sallow is the wrong one, whatever the guide says. How to find your skin undertone has a quick test, and ivory, cream or off-white sets the shades side by side. Screens shift whites and the pictures here are design previews, so expect a small difference in shade, and describe the white you want in words as well as with a photo.

Will a white dress be see-through?

It can be. Pale cloth lets more light through than dark cloth of the same weight, and full sun behind you or a camera flash shows it most. Every design on this page can be lined, which is the simplest answer: ask for a lining in the changes box and it is written into your quote. The gold lace frock is meant to be partly sheer, at the sleeves and at the yoke above the bodice, so say how far you would like its lining to reach. Under any white, a smooth layer near your own skin colour vanishes where a white one shows its edges. Fabrics that are not see-through goes further.

Keeping a white dress white

Marks on white turn up in predictable places: make-up at the neckline, deodorant under the arms, food down the front and dust along a long hem. Put the dress on after your make-up, and ask for an ankle hem rather than one that brushes the ground if you will be walking on pavements. Rinse a spill quickly with cool water from the back of the cloth, wash whites only with whites, and keep the gold on the brocade and lace frocks away from bleach and long soaks. Put the dress away clean, because traces of sweat and scent turn white yellow over the months. Why white clothes turn yellow in storage and foundation marks on necklines go into the detail.

Graduation and your own engagement party

Two days when white is often the plan have pages of their own. For a ceremony in a cap and gown, graduation dresses deals with necklines that sit under a hood and hems that clear the gown. If the engagement is yours, engagement party dresses looks at ivory frocks, photos of the ring and a mangni at home. The white designs on this page suit both.

Christenings, daytime events and white parties

A christening or a naming day usually happens in daylight and often begins in a church or another place of worship, where covered shoulders are welcome. The baby is normally the one in white, so many guests keep to soft colours or to a white with plenty of colour in it, such as the cream frock or the Wildflower; ask the parents if you are unsure. We make the dress for you, not christening gowns or children’s clothes.

An all-white party works the other way round. Everyone is in white, so the shades stand side by side in every photo and a cream dress beside a bright white one can look yellow. Ask the host whether they mean pure white or any pale shade, then pick a design on a white base for the first, or the ivory and off-white designs for the second. Pattern helps you stand out in a room full of white, and the brocade frock’s gold catches the light in the evening.

Weddings, a nikah or a walima: leave white to the couple

At most Western weddings, white, ivory and cream are left to the couple, and a guest in white stands out for the wrong reason. At a nikah or walima many couples now wear white or ivory too, so leave it to them unless the family has asked everyone to wear it; can a guest wear white to a nikkah? explains the change. As a guest, choose the Wisteria in powder blue, the Royal Blue Yoke as drawn or one of our wedding guest dresses. We do not make wedding dresses for the woman getting married; for her nikah, a bridal abaya is the one piece we offer.

Ordering a white dress in time

Making takes 5 to 7 working days, counted from when your written quote is approved and paid in full, and shipping follows, taking longer to some countries than to others. When you ask for a quote, name the design and the white you want, your size or measurements marked as body or garment, the sleeves and hem, and whether you want a lining. Nothing is cut until every detail is agreed in writing, and delivery, with any import duty and taxes, is part of the quote.