SHOPPING FOR A PARTY DRESS IN GENEVA
by Yelena Ganshof
The party season has officially kicked off and the shops are full of festive frocks. If you’re like most women, you’ll be on the lookout for a sparkly or slinky party dress to make you look irresistible.
We asked Yelena Ganshof, who helps entrepreneurs, business owners and executives to develop their personal brand, to have some fun looking for the most spectacular party dresses in Geneva.
And if these are not in your budget (some of them certainly aren’t in ours) – just be inspired and search for similar styles on the high street. Also check out our suggestions for where to pick up top brands at affordable prices at local dépôt/ventes (second-hand stores) in Geneva in this article.
RED IS THE NEW BLACK
Yelena, who used to dress celebrities whilst living in Singapore, says red is the only colour to wear this party season. Red is THE colour of the winter season and celebrities have been sporting red party dresses everywhere. It’s all about making a statement, so read on for some Lady-in-Red inspiration.
In Asia and the Middle East, there is no wedding without outfits in red for both men and women – it’s a celebration colour! So, I decided to find what the boutiques in Geneva have to offer in the line of red party dresses this season. And I found some amazing pieces.
SPARKLE
I started with one of my favourite brands TARA JARMON. It offers some really unique designs at reasonably affordable prices. I was especially moved by a figure-hugging sparkly dress with sequins and sparkly stones – CHF590. Any lady will be transformed into a film star in this dress!
They also had a few more flowing options for fuller figures and a cheeky pair of little red shorts, which I love!
WHERE: Tara Jarmon Boutique, 4 Rue de la Tour Maitresse, Geneva
ROMANTIC, SEXY OR PRINCESS STYLE
The department store GLOBUS had a number of dresses from different world brands, including Kooples, Maje, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Cavalli Class and Essentiel. Some of these brands are very reasonable.
CAVALLI CLASS
My favourite here was a long-sleeved Cavalli Class dress which ends just below the knee and which can be worn with a big black belt to accentuate your waist, but which also has a bit of ruching to hide any excess around the tummy.
LAUREN BY RALPH LAUREN
A very stylish option was the full-length Lauren dress by Ralph Lauren, which also has clever tummy panelling and an unusual décolletage,
KOOPLES
A sexy Kooples short dress with a zip down the front caught my eye, but there were many other styles, including romantic lace dresses.
MAJE
Maje offers a princess-style dress with a V-neck and A-line skirt with short short-sleeved top.
LOUIS VUITTON
Louis Vuitton had a modern-looking short dress with interesting sleeves, black belt around the waist and an open back – great with suede boots.
SHEER LUXURY
My final stop was my favourite high-end boutique LE DIX.
Although this boutique may be out of budget for most, the luxurious dresses are simply gorgeous and it’s well worth a visit.
TONY WARD
I loved this exquisite off-the-shoulder Tony Ward velvet gown complete with trail, reminding me of Asian wedding dresses.
With its velvet, emdroidery and sparkly stones, it’s breathtaking – but at 8100 CHF, it doesn’t come cheap.
MONIQUE LHUILLIER
Coming in slightly cheaper was a Monique Lhuillier velvety dress in Bordeaux with beautiful pink and green embroidery at 5800 CHF.
This is a super luxury store, filled with only the fanciest of fancy dresses. If you are going to an occasion of the highest level, and you have the budget most people only dream of, then this boutique should be on your list. They carry designs of top world designers – totally exclusive!
WHERE: DIX Boutique
Quai du Général-Guisan 10, 1204 Genève
Watch my fun VLOG about my shopping experience hunting for a red party dress in Geneva.
YELENA’S 5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT PARTY DRESS
PROBLEM: A bit of a tummy
SOLUTION: Go for the ruche-ing (soft draping) effect such as the Lauren dress by Ralph Lauren.
PROBLEM: Short neck
SOLUTION: Choose a V-neck to elongate the neck and body.
PROBLEM: Generous hips
SOLUTION: Avoid long, floaty sleeves, which will add more weight to your hips. Choose diagonal color blocks instead.
PROBLEM: Bingo wings: (flabby upper arms)
SOLUTION: Choose longer rather than shorter sleeves to take away the attention, or use a pashmina to cover up. With a red dress choose a pashmina in a contrasting colour to still bring attention to the Christmas dress. If you opt for a short sleeve dress, cover up with dressy jackets and blazers.
PROBLEM: Small breasted
SOLUTION: Use designs with big prints on top for enlarging effect. Choose ruching and draping around the breast area. Add accessories and scarves to add more volume to this area. Use push-up bras!
WHO IS YELENA GANSHOF?
Biography
As a Personal Branding and Marketing Coach, Yelena is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and executives to develop their Personal Brand and Image not only for their speaking engagements on stage with their dresscode and style, but also through their online presence on social media providing content tools and video marketing. Infusing her strong visual skills and business experience she helps create sharp and attractive marketing content online with posts, photography and filming a unique business story to boost her clients’ brand and visibility.
https://www.facebook.com/YelenaGanshofImage/
