LaPointe Sequin Dresses: A Buyer’s Guide

Sequins are the other half of the LaPointe signature, and they work differently from the feathers. A feather piece announces itself in silhouette. A sequin piece announces itself in light, and only when you move.

The house does sequins on a sheer ground rather than a solid one, and that single choice explains most of how these dresses behave.

How does LaPointe do sequins?

Almost always on mesh. The sequins are worked onto a fine net, so the ground is semi-transparent and the sequins sit as points of light with space between them.

The effect is quite different from a densely sequinned dress on a solid lining. A dense sequin dress reflects in a block and reads heavy. A LaPointe mesh sequin gown scatters light and reads weightless, and it moves like the net it is built on rather than like armour.

The house works the same idea in several registers: net mesh sequin, mini stretch sequin, sequin cashmere, and a geometric crystal fringe that behaves like sequins but hangs in strands.

What do you wear under a sheer sequin dress?

This is the practical question, and the collection answers it in three ways.

The dress has its own solution. Several styles are built over a built-in bodysuit layer, so the sheer runs only at the sleeve and the lower leg. Check the product description first.

Wear the house bodysuit. LaPointe makes plain jersey and mesh bodysuits in black, cream and chocolate specifically to sit under the sheer pieces. A matched bodysuit reads as part of the dress.

Wear a slip in the same tone. A tonal slip disappears. A contrasting one becomes the outfit.

Browse the tops and bodysuits to find the layer.

Which sequin piece suits which evening?

A full sequin column gown. Black tie, awards evenings, a room where photographs are taken. See evening gowns.

A mini stretch sequin bodysuit. Worn with a plain satin trouser, this is a party outfit that does not commit to a whole sequinned dress.

A sequin cropped top with a matching skirt. The separates route, which lets you halve the shine by wearing one piece at a time.

A sequin cashmere skirt. The quietest option in the collection, and the most wearable in daylight.

How should a sequin dress fit?

Mesh has stretch, so these pieces are more forgiving than a woven sequin dress. LaPointe sizes on the US ladder and Coveti converts to UK, so a UK 10 is a US 4. The stretch sequin styles are cut close by design and should not be sized up to loosen them, because the sequin spacing is calculated for the stretched state.

The full detail is in the sizing guide.

How do you care for sequins?

Specialist clean only, and say it is sequinned when you hand it over. A standard dry cleaning solvent can lift the coating from certain sequins and leave them dull.

Store a sequin dress flat, in tissue, rather than hanging. Sequins are heavier than they look, and a long hang stretches the mesh out of shape at the shoulder. Never iron a sequin piece: heat melts the discs. If it creases, hang it briefly in a steamy bathroom, well away from the water, then lay it flat.

Sequins also snag each other. Store the dress in its own breathable bag rather than pressed against a beaded neighbour.

Where to buy

Coveti carries the LaPointe sequin collection in mesh, stretch and cashmere. Browse the LaPointe edit and the designer dresses, and see the feather guide for the other half of the house signature.

Frequently asked questions

Are LaPointe sequin dresses see-through?

The sequins are worked onto a fine mesh, so the ground is semi-transparent. Several styles are built over an internal bodysuit layer so the sheer runs only at the sleeve and lower leg. Check the product description, and wear a tonal bodysuit under the fully sheer styles.

What do you wear under a sheer sequin dress?

A bodysuit in the same tone is the cleanest answer, and LaPointe makes plain jersey and mesh bodysuits in black, cream and chocolate for exactly this. A tonal slip also disappears, while a contrasting one becomes the outfit.

Can you dry clean a sequin dress?

Only with a specialist, and tell them it is sequinned. Standard dry cleaning solvent can lift the coating from some sequins and leave them dull.

Is it better to store a sequin dress flat?

Flat, in tissue. Sequins are heavy and a long hang stretches the mesh out of shape at the shoulder. Keep it in its own breathable bag so the sequins do not snag a beaded neighbour.

Can you iron sequins?

No. Heat melts the discs. Hang the piece briefly in a steamy bathroom well away from the water to drop a crease, then lay it flat.

Read next

• LaPointe evening gowns
• What to wear to a gala
• LaPointe satin dresses

Written by Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti.