Almost all party clothing is made from three fabrics, and they behave so differently that choosing between them decides more than the cut does.
The short comparison
| Velvet | Sequins | Satin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under warm indoor light | Rich, deep, absorbs light | Flashes, very high impact | Reflects, can look harsh |
| In photographs with flash | Photographs well, holds shape | Blows out, often unflattering | Bright hotspots on the body |
| Warmth | Warm | Cold, usually unlined | Cold |
| Sitting down | Crushes, marks | Fine | Creases immediately |
| Care | Steam only, never iron flat | Hand wash or specialist | Marks with water, shows everything |
| Lasts | Years if stored properly | One or two seasons | Years, but marks easily |
Velvet
Velvet is a pile fabric — the surface is made of tiny upright fibres — which is why it looks different depending on the angle you view it from and why it is so good under low indoor light. It absorbs light rather than bouncing it, so it reads as rich and deep rather than shiny.
It is also the warmest of the three by a distance, which makes it the sensible choice for anything involving a cold venue.
What to check before buying: run your hand against the pile. Good velvet springs back; cheap velvet stays flattened and will develop permanent crush marks where you sit. Cotton and silk velvets behave best; polyester velvet is the one that goes shiny at the friction points.
Care: never iron it flat — that crushes the pile permanently. Hang it in a steamy bathroom and let the pile recover on its own. Store it hanging, never folded.
Sequins
Sequins are small discs stitched or glued onto a base fabric, and almost every problem with them follows from that.
Stitched sequins move with the garment and survive; glued sequins come off, and they come off in the wash, on a car seat and against a coat. Turn a sequinned garment inside out in the shop and look — if you can see thread holding each disc, it is built to last a few seasons. If you can see adhesive, it is built for one night.
The lining is the other thing to check. Sequins against skin are genuinely uncomfortable over several hours, and an unlined sequinned dress is a long evening. A lined one costs more and is worth it.
Photographs: sequins are the highest-impact fabric in a room and the most difficult on camera. With a flash they blow out into a white mass. In warm indoor light they are excellent. If the event will be heavily photographed with flash, this is worth knowing in advance.
Satin
Satin is a weave rather than a fibre, which is why it ranges from very cheap to very expensive under the same name. The weave floats threads across the surface, which is what produces the shine.
That shine is directional and unforgiving: it reflects light, and light reflecting off a curve emphasises the curve. This is the fabric that shows every line underneath, and no amount of quality changes that — it is a property of the weave.
What to check: the drape. Hold it up and let it fall. Good satin falls in soft columns; cheap satin holds a stiff triangular shape and looks like it is standing away from the body. Also check it for water marks, because satin marks permanently with a single drop and shop stock is often already affected.
Care: it creases the moment you sit down and it does not recover on its own the way velvet does. Steam rather than iron, and accept that a satin dress worn to a sit-down dinner will look different by the end of it.
Which to choose
- Cold venue, long evening, want to look expensive: velvet.
- Want maximum impact and the event is not flash-photographed: sequins.
- Want elegance and will mostly be standing: satin.
- Sitting down for hours: velvet or a heavier crepe, not satin.
One more thing worth saying: all three are difficult to wash, which makes them expensive per wear unless you get several outings out of them. The strategy in one dress, five ways applies particularly well to these fabrics, since none of them can go through a machine between events anyway.