Wine Velvet Long-Sleeve Maxi Dress, Sarine

Deep wine velvet, long sleeves and a floor-length hem make the Sarine Long Sleeve Maxi Dress a cold-weather evening dress first and everything else second. The colour is a dark red that reads almost black in low light and glows when a lamp hits it.

The body is cut from velvet with a soft hand, and the dress is slim through the torso so the pile follows the figure rather than hanging away from it. The neckline is round and simple, and the sleeves run long to the wrist. Two openings break up the coverage: a cut-out at the side of the body and a split at the front of the skirt, both of which add movement and show a little skin without undoing the long-sleeved, high-necked modesty elsewhere. It slips on with no closure to manage, and it is unlined, so it stays light for a velvet piece.

A wine velvet maxi dress belongs at a winter wedding, a December dinner, an opera or awards night. Keep shoes dark and heeled so the split has somewhere to go, and choose one gold earring or cuff rather than a necklace, since the round neck is already complete.