Coco Chanel once said: ‘Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.’

If your Christmas party invitation dictates formal attire, there’s no better way to knock it out of the park than with a lusciously long gown. The first step? Get the underwear right; invest in good quality shapewear to smooth your silhouette and give some seasonal va-va-voom to the bits you want to highlight.

An A-line style looks good on almost all body shapes and flatters all figures. Mermaid styles maximise curves, while sheath styles (think Gatsby) are divine on petite figures and uber chic if you’re tall.

Here are eight of the best to try on right now…

1. ‘CIARA’ MAXI DRESS

Buy it at: Monsoon, €218

2. GOLD V-NECK GOWN

Buy it at: River Island, coming soon

3. NAVY OPEN BACK DRESS

5. KNOTTED VELVET DRESS

6. MAXI FRINGE DRESS

7. LEOPARD DRESS

8. TFNC VELVET MAXI DRESS