What to Wear to a Black Tie Gala (and Why You Should Rent it)
A few weeks ago, I got a surprise invite to a black tie gala!
After I got over my excitement of attending the gala at the Fairmont Royal York, I realized I had to get a dress on very short notice.
There are a few problems here: for one, I’m 5’2”, and any formal dress I buy would have to be hemmed. Second (and the most obvious) is buying a dress to wear once is expensive!
Last year, I friend of mine let me know about Fitzroy Rentals. Fitzroy is located in Toronto, but ships across Canada. I immediately checked out their website to see if there was anything that would fit both the black tie dress code and work with my petite stature.
But before we get into that:
What is “Black Tie?”
It’s surprising to me how many of us don’t understand what to wear when the invite says “black tie.” For a masculine look, it’s fairly simple (psst! it means a black tux). But if you’re wearing a feminine wardrobe? Not so much, apparently.
Black tie does not mean cocktail attire. I love my Diane von Furstenberg Zarita dress, but a black tie gala is not the time to pull it out of my closet. Black tie means gowns. It’s formal, not semi-formal. And it’s definitely not business formal!
“Formal” usually means a floor-length gown. Now, we’ll get into how that worked out for me. Women’s suits and one-pieces are also options if you’re not feeling gowns, and can be dressed up with jewelry and a pair of heels.
I’m petite… what do I do?
If you’re 5’3” and under (generally), you fall into the “petite” category. This means that most gowns will be way past floor-length. In short, trying on formal wear can be a bit of a pain.
Lucky for me, Fitzroy had options that fit the dress code and my size. One of the designers they carry, Elle Zeitoune, has a variety of calf-length and midi dresses that still feel formal.
I chose the Elle Zeitoune Milan Dress in Wine. The colour stood out to me and I knew it would look fantastic with a “red wine aesthetic” makeup look (I highly recommend the e.l.f. Rose Gold Sunset Palette!).
I chose to pick up my dress in-person at Fitzroy’s studio, since I live in Toronto. The studio is located near Lansdowne station and is a short walk. If you’re in Toronto or nearby, being able to try your gown on in-studio is key. I actually found out I needed to size down, and we could easily switch out my dress for a different size (in addition to being short, I have small boobs… constant struggles).
As you can see, the length doesn’t quite hit my calves the way it would on someone taller. But this worked perfectly for me, and gave a little room to show off my heels.
I wanted the dress to be a statement, so I kept everything else simple. I wore a pair of nude Cole Haan pumps and kept the jewelry to small, gold pieces. My necklace was Michael Kors and earrings were Swarovski, both from Winners. My bracelet was a thrifted Monét tennis bracelet. I painted my nails with Expressie Polish in Millennium Momentum, a nude shade; they matched my shoes perfectly and kept the focus on the brilliant colour of the dress!
My experience renting from Fitzroy was near-seamless. Without a doubt, I’ll be using them for future events (fingers crossed for more last-minute invites, right?).
I’ll leave you with a picture of the gorgeous ceiling in the salon at the Royal York. It was truly a fabulous place to get dressed up!
