Some occasions are too important to dress casually for, and gold is exactly the right answer when that moment arrives. Not every colour carries weight. Gold does. It catches light in a way that makes you visible from across a room, and it has a warmth that photographs beautifully without looking try-hard or costume-like when you get the cut right.

We’ve been pulling together our favourite gold dresses for the occasions that genuinely call for them. Weddings where you’re not the bride but you still want to look serious. Christmas parties that deserve more than the same black dress you’ve worn for three years running. New Year’s Eve. A significant birthday. The kind of dinner where you book the table weeks in advance.

What we’ve looked for is gold that reads as genuinely luxurious rather than cheap and shiny, because the difference matters enormously. Sequinned styles that move well. Satin cuts that sit properly. Midis that feel current rather than dated. We’ve been strict about it. These are the dresses that justify getting dressed up in the first place.

Gold is not a safe choice. That is precisely the point.