What to Wear to a Gala: Lessons From the 1948 Party of the Year

Dear Friends, in the fall of 1948 a fashion publicist named Eleanor Lambert threw a midnight supper and called it "The Party of the Year". It was not at the Met and it was not on the first Monday in May, those came later. Lambert, the PR mind behind New York Fashion Week and the CFDA, hoped the evening would grow into something as important as the old Beaux Arts ball. It did, and every invitation that says gala still asks us the same thing: what do we put on. If you want to keep going, Party Season Starts Earlier Every Year is the one I would read next.

 

The lesson I took for what to wear to a gala (and there is certainly more to uncover) is to read the invitation first and then go a little longer than you think. The Emily Post Institute lists a formal floor-length evening gown, a dressy cocktail dress or your dressiest little black dress for black tie, and a floor-length gown for white tie. A gown is the safe answer, so below are the modern options, from strapless columns to capes, then gloves, bags and jewels. I went deeper on a related idea in A Second Wedding Dress: What to Wear to the After-Party.

 

Start with the strapless column, the cleanest silhouette of the lot. In my fashion dreams she walks in wearing the blush Oscar de la Renta with its floral beaded bodice, or the periwinkle Mac Duggal with its 3D flower and high slit. The gold pleated Florence from Bronx and Banco has a corseted bodice for a metallic moment, and the red Norma Kamali fishtail flares at the hem for a little drama. For black, I would reach for the Khaite Yao when I want nothing but line, the Solace London Sommer for crystals at the neckline and a back slit, and the Rebecca Vallance Lois when I want the floral appliqué at the bodice.

 

One practical tip: check the neckline-to-hem measurement against your height in your actual heels. The Bronx and Banco lists about 51.5 inches and the Norma Kamali about 60.

White tie is the one dress code where a ball gown is simply correct: the Emily Post Institute asks women for a formal floor-length evening gown, with long gloves optional. Most of us will never get that invitation, but the full skirt is still the most romantic answer to a gala, and a good one to wear in October when the room is warm and the entrance is slow.

 

The Carolina Herrera is a halter-neck silk gown with a tiered A-line skirt in a bold floral print, which means the pattern does the decorating. The Sachin Babi Marta in slate blue is a mikado ball gown with short sleeves and a belted waist, the one for anyone who wants a full skirt with a little structure up top. Mac Duggal does two strapless versions: black tulle over a heavily beaded burgundy ombre bodice, and a blush satin with pearl beading. Staud gives us a pink tiered tulle gown with a detachable fitted slip underneath, and the Allyson in featherweight floral organza. Then the navy Rebecca Vallance Fernanda in textured organza, and the Costarellos Vianna in blue-gray tulle with a plunging neckline and floral embellishment.

 

My fitting-room test is simple: sit down, then walk up a flight of stairs. A full skirt that you can only manage standing is a costume, not a gown. Look at the lining, too, since several of these are fully lined, and check that a concealed zip lies flat at the back.

 

What I would skip: a very wide tulle skirt at a seated dinner with tight tables, where the lighter organza will move more easily.

Black tie is traditionally an after-6 p.m. code, and in October that means a cold walk from the car and a long night in a drafty ballroom. That is the case for sleeves and capes: they are evening dress with a built-in layer, and they keep the line clean when the coat check line is long.

 

The Safiyaa pair are the softest of the group. The Lennox is a blush crepe gown with a draped cape back and tonal floral appliqué, and the blue version has three-quarter sleeves and a floor-length satin cape. Rebecca Vallance's Cameron is black crepe with a V-neckline and a short cape, the easy one when you want drama without a train. Self-Portrait's burgundy gown has floral appliqué and a sweeping sheer scarf detail with a dramatic open back. Oscar de la Renta gives us two very different ideas: a lavender gown with a jewel neckline and beaded cape sleeves, and a black cady column with draped sleeves, an asymmetric neckline and a low scoop back. Mac Duggal's royal blue satin has off-the-shoulder puff sleeves and an attached cape train, and the Badgley Mischka is an emerald mikado column with a square neckline and a draped cape over the shoulders.

 

Pairing is easy: with a cape, keep the earrings small and the hair up, so that nothing competes with the back. The test is to lift your arms and hug a friend. If the sleeve pulls or the cape slides off, the cut is wrong for dancing.

 

What I would skip: a long cape train on a crowded dance floor, where the short cape is far less likely to be stepped on.

An opera glove, or evening glove, is one that reaches beyond the elbow, and it had its biggest run as a fashion accessory from the 1940s through the early 1960s. The Emily Post Institute still lists long gloves as optional for white tie. Optional is the right word: gloves are one decision, made once, and they change how the whole look reads.

 

For gloves, the Agnelle pair is lambskin leather with silk, cut to the arm length. Magda Butrym's black jersey gloves run past the elbow with a sleek flared cuff. Then two for sparkle: the Miss Circle in sheer white mesh scattered with crystals (dry clean only) and the gray Oséree mesh covered in crystals. For bags, the minaudiere is the answer, a compact case with room for lipstick and a phone. Saint Laurent's is black brushed leather with a gold bar closure. Bottega Veneta's Knot is woven Intreccio satin with a satin lining; the house was founded in 1966 and introduced the Intrecciato weave in 1975. The Judith Leiber Perry is a gold-to-silver gradient covered in crystals with a detachable chain, and Leiber, who founded her brand in 1963, started the crystal habit by accident, covering flawed plating. The Self-Portrait navy satin box clutch has a crystal bow clasp.

 

Test the gloves by bending your elbow and reaching for a glass: they should not wrinkle into rings. For bags, open the clasp one-handed.

 

What I would skip: opera gloves with a gown that already has long sleeves or a cape, and a crystal bag with crystal gloves in the same outfit.

Jennifer Behr launched her line in 2005, crafted by hand in New York City, and she studied sculpture and art history before she made hair accessories. I like that background because a good headpiece is a small piece of sculpture that has to sit quietly on a head all night.

 

The Behr pieces here are the Emelina headband in black crystal, a slim band set with pear, baguette, round and square Austrian crystals, and the Viviana diadem in gunmetal, Edwardian in spirit with hinged crystal drops that move. Erdem's pale blue satin headband is covered in floral crystals and beadwork across the crown. For ears, Oscar de la Renta makes large hammered gold-tone drops studded with glass crystals, made in Italy, and Alexis Bittar's Solanales is sculptural gold ending in crystal-pave petals, about 2.25 inches long. Kenneth Jay Lane's cubic zirconia waterfall earrings are the long, cascading choice with floral clusters. For pearls, LAGOS has a 36-inch strand of cultured freshwater pearls with station accents, and Carolina Herrera's necklace alternates large crystals with faux pearls on a gold-tone chain.

 

My rule for jewels is one loud thing. A headband with a strapless gown is already a statement, so keep the earrings simple; with a plain neckline, the waterfall earrings can lead. Hair up shows off earrings, and a diadem needs a smooth base.

 

What I would skip: a long pearl strand over a neckline that already has crystals, like the Solace London, where the two will fight.

A midnight supper in 1948 turned into the party everyone dresses for, and the dress code underneath it is still very simple. Read the invitation, pick the length, and give yourself one clear idea.

 

In order, I would choose the silhouette first: a strapless column if it is a standing reception, a full skirt if there is a dance floor, or a cape if the walk is cold. Then I would add gloves or a minaudiere, not both unless the dress is plain. Last, one sparkle, either on the ears or in the hair.

 

Lambert called it the Party of the Year. You do not have to out-dress it, only arrive looking like you had a reason to.