Satin pleating has a reputation problem and it is entirely deserved when done badly. The wrong fabric weight, the wrong construction, and suddenly you look like you’ve arrived at a wedding in something that came rolled up in a plastic sleeve. But done properly, with a satin that has genuine weight and pleats that are properly set rather than pressed in as an afterthought, the effect is extraordinary. Fluid, formal without being stiff, and genuinely flattering in the way that structured dresses rarely are.

We have been very selective here because the gap between good and bad in this category is wider than almost anywhere else. The dresses we’ve chosen have fabrics that move correctly, pleats that hold their shape through an evening, and cuts that work on actual bodies rather than just on a hanger. Several of them could take you from a smart work event to a black tie dinner with nothing more than a shoe change.

Satin pleating, when it’s right, looks like it costs significantly more than it does. These are the dresses that prove the point.