Clarimonde Velvet Ruched Mini Dress, Long Sleeves

Clarimonde is a ruched velvet mini with long sleeves, and the colour range is what sets it apart. Velvet party dresses arrive in black and red almost without exception; this one runs to pink, fuchsia and teal, which gives it somewhere to go that the rest of the category does not.

Brown and black are the two grounded options. Pink is soft and works for a birthday or a spring occasion. Fuchsia is the loud one and genuinely striking in velvet, where the pile stops a bright colour looking cheap. Teal is the most unusual of the five and the pick if you want the dress to be the thing people remember.

The ruching gathers through the body so it skims rather than clings, which is the practical reason to choose a ruched mini over a plain one. Sizes run S through XL and it sits on our price floor. The chart below gives body measurements in inches.

• Silhouette: mini dress
• Fabric: velvet
• Sleeve: long
• Detail: ruched body
• Colourways: Brown, Pink, Fuchsia, Black, Teal
• Sizes: S to XL
• Care: hand wash cold or dry clean, steam rather than iron

Measurements are approximate body measurements in inches. Size up if you prefer a looser fit.