Last week, I overheard a woman in a coffee shop mention that she had a fall wedding coming up, ordered six wedding guest dresses, and returned every single one. This inspired me to create a curated guide to editor-favorite brands to shop for wedding guest dresses as a jumping off point for anyone currently looking.
Since I have a few 2027 weddings to attend myself, thinking through what to wear has already been top of mind. It’s a chance to wear something that feels unique and special. When starting your search, it can be nice to browse curated wedding guest edits on retailers like Net-a-Porter, Nordstrom, Revolve, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ssense, or Moda Operandi, and for vintage, two different people have recommended Farmer’s Daughter to me. (If you’re not ready to commit to buying, I’ve rented from Pickle for two past weddings, and I want to try Hautline next.)
Among our editors, I already knew of a few favorite go-to labels, such as Bernadette, Rixo, and SIR., but I was curious to know more our team swears by. Ahead, see our wedding guest dress advice and the brands we recommend.
“I have a few, but Tory Burch, SIR, and Khaite are probably the ones I wear the most. I’m definitely a rewearer when it comes to wedding-guest dresses, which is why I usually stick with pretty neutral colors and classic styles. You can have fun with accessories! Shape-wise, I love my SIR dress that I got truly probably 8 years ago and just wore to a wedding in England. It’s a classic black, strapless column dress, and this time, I styled it with a black silk scarf with fringe edges. I have a few Khaite dresses I like to wear, some specifically to a welcome cocktail or rehearsal dinner, and others for the actual ceremony. One is a silk mini that I have in both navy and gold, and the other is a black puff-sleeve dress that’s really form-fitting the rest of the way. Tory is where things get more fun. For a spring or summer wedding when I want to be more playful, I’ll wear a brighter color with fun sequin or beaded texture. All of mine sold out a long time ago, but these are similar!”
Tory Burch
SIR.
Khaite
“My favorite way to spend a Sunday evening is browsing Reformation, Simkhai, and Bernadette for the save-the-dates I pinned to my calendar. I don’t just need to shop for my invites; as the resident stylist of the friend group, I’m my besties’ personal shopper too. The goal is always to be the best-dressed wedding guest, so I lean timeless and classic. I rarely recommend a print. I love satin or taffeta. I’m team full-length because where else can you wear a floor-length evening dress? A retro-inspired ankle-length with a well-tailored silhouette will always catch my eye, though—this is where Bernadette shines. I go to Simkhai when I’m looking for beautiful textures like metallic jacquard or gravity-defying draping. Reformation, well—I can always count on finding a wedding guest dress for any attire, be it garden party or black-tie.”
Simkhai
Bernadette
Reformation
“One of my priorities when wedding guest dress shopping is to find something I’ll wear again, and more often than not, Posse checks that box (and many others). Their dresses are so special, and you could easily find ways to dress them down for post-wedding wears. Another brand that I can say the same about is Dôen. I never feel guilty about spending money on a dress from either brand because I always get so much use out of them.”
Posse
Dôen
“I absolutely adore wedding guest dress shopping. When I want something extra special, I make a beeline to Cult Gaia for their statement silhouettes and dramatic details; Sau Lee for its incredible quality and beautiful designs, and Rixo for something feminine, chic, and vintage-inspired.”
Cult Gaia
Sau Lee
Rixo
“Bec + Bridge and Arcina Ori make my favorite wedding guest dresses, hands down. Each of their pieces features a classic silhouette, but the intricate details, such as draping, twisted straps, or low-back designs, make them feel unique and special. When I’m in the mood for something even more minimal, I look to brands like Vince, Victoria Beckham, or Nili Lotan for their sleek slip dresses, which are extremely flattering and provide the perfect foundation for me to add my favorite evening bag and maybe even a pair of statement earrings if I’m feeling crazy.”
Bec + Bridge
Arcina Ori
Vince
Victoria Beckham
Nili Lotan
“With some of my best friends’ weddings coming up next year, I’m taking it as an opportunity to start building a collection of wedding guest dresses, and I tend to gravitate towards emerging designers. In addition to many of the brands mentioned above, others on my (long) wish list include: Acne, Blumarine, Cecilie Bahnsen, Conner Ives, Dries Van Noten, Emily Dawn Long, Fait Par Foutch, Jane Brooke, Kallmeyer, Mirror Palais, Paloma Wool, Réalisation Par, Siedrés, Simone Rocha, and Vivienne Westwood. As I’ve been looking, it’s been making me think about color analysis and the statement colors that look best on me for single-color options, such as burgundy. And you can’t go wrong with a black silk dress as a fallback.”
Vivienne Westwood
Jane Booke
Matteau
Réalisation Par
Emily Dawn Long
Blumarine
Simone Rocha
Fait Par Foutch
Acne
Cecilie Bahnsen
Rat & Boa
Mirror Palais
Kallmeyer
Collina Strada
