Chiffon Dresses

Nothing says elegant quite like chiffon. The word chiffon comes from the French word for a cloth, and it's a lightweight, sheer fabric woven from crepe that has some stretch and a slightly rough feel. This material is most commonly used in evening wear, giving an elegant and floating appearance to a gown. Tadashi makes gorgeous and rather pricey chiffon gowns, both short and long, and in a variety of colors and styles.

J Kara's offerings include a stunning beaded chiffon with a matching jacket; silvery beading runs along its V-neck bodice and a sheer, open-front jacket provides lightcoverage. Adrianna Papell has a long line of chiffon dresses, including a reasonably priced, beautiful, full-length floaty gown with a satin sweetheart bodice. Niteline can dress you up to go out on the town in its long, Mattox Beaded Keyhole Gown, which features Silvertone beads and faceted gems on chiffon, or its short-and-sassy Aidan Mattox Sequin Organza number that has draped ruffles, a sweetheart bodice and an overlay of organza for a muted effect.

JS Boutique also offers long and short choices in chiffon, including a twist-front gown, beaded Trapeze short dress and a one-shoulder, rhinestone-studded, full-length party dress. Spiegel makes an ultra-feminine, tiered, floral-print chiffon dress with cap sleeves and overlapping, tiered layers of floral chiffon. JS Collections has elegant chiffon offerings, such as its print chiffon gown, which features a shirred bodice detailed with removable jeweled clips. Both Diane von Furstenberg and Laundry have full lines of chiffon dresses, from fun and flirty to long and graceful, in a wide price range.