Finding the top styles of evening formal dresses in time for the winter season means starting as early as the summer to pay attention to the newest fashions coming off the catwalk in time for your holiday plans. You can start planning by taking yourself on a simple online pre-shopping expedition to preview all of the up and coming styles and decide which ones best suit your body type, budget, and sense of personal style. Preview these top styles of evening formal dresses for winter 2011 and choose the dresses that will make you shine this holiday season.

The Silhouette Empire Long Formal Evening Dress

The silhouette empire waisted long formal evening dress is making a splash this winter season. Channeling the happy meeting point between a mermaid style dress and a classic a-line evening dress, the silhouette empire long formal evening dress features a fitted bodice with a raised empire waist, a long flowing skirt that ends just at the floor length, and often features a backless or semi-backless design with criss-cross straps or a v-neck back. Some silhouette empire long formal evening dresses also have a sngle or double side slit for extra allure. You can find a great silhouette empire long formal evening dress at Prom Gown Dress in the Cire Prom 2012 collection. The dress comes in emerald or charmeuse, is priced at just $152, and can be ordered in a standard or custom size.

The Hi-Low Evening Dress

The hi-low formal evening dress style has been making its presence known on and off the red carpet and across the country for formal affairs such as proms, cocktail and dinner party events, benefits, quinceaneras, and more. This flattering evening dress style comes with a fitted sweetheart strapless or strappy bodice, an empire waist, and a flaring skirt that starts as high as above the knee and often descends to as low as floor-length. The hi-low bias can be straight-on front cut side cut, or assymetrical. The empire waist cut makes this dress flattering for most figure types. You can find a great hi-low evening dress in various colors including black, blue, coral, yellow and white for $278 at Prom Girl. Sizes range from 00 to 12.

The Evening Shirt Dress

While a shirt dress may not in seasons past have been considered a particular choice for formal evening attire, this season introduces the classic shirt dress in a whole new light. Crafted from taffeta with polyester, featuring a more daring v-neck portrait neckline, a wide collar, ruching and rosettes, a narrow fitted belt with decorative buckle, and other accents, and a fitted hourglass waist complemented by the fitted bodice and flared big-pleated skirt, the evening shirt dress takes you from the casual to the formal in the blink of an eye. You can find a great evening shirt dress in iridescent sea-blue taffeta from Teri John at Nordstrom’s for $278. Sizes range from size 2 to size 16.

The Knit Black Dress

There is still no substitute for the knit black dress as a staple for every formal occasion wardrobe. Until you have found the perfect fitted “little black dress” in versatile black knit, you will likely always fear being caught by surprise at having nothing suitable to wear for that last-minute winter formal occasion. With long sleeves or three-quarter sleeves, a v-neck, and a shapely, fitted bodice followed by a slightly flared skirt to just above the knee, the knit black dress can be worn alone or with a formal winter jacket, cape, or shawl for the perfect winter formal look. You can find a great black knit dress at White House Black Market made of spandex and polyester for $128. Sizes range from 00 to 6.

The Sheath Chiffon Long Evening Dress

The sheath dress is nearly as essential to any formal dress wardrobe as the little black dress, but this winter season celebrates the return of chiffon combined with the onset of the newer trend in sheer styles. With the sheath chiffon long evening dress, you find a fitted floor-length evening dress with a strapless or strappy bodice in a sweetheart or assymetrical neckline paired with a sheer partial or full overskirt and a v-line half backless or full backless reverse. You can find a great sheath chiffon long evening dress from Light in the Box for $179 in sizes from size 2 to size 26W. You can choose from ocean blue, hunter green, lavender, gold, chocolate, champagne, ivory, grape, green, fuchsia, watermelon, pearl pink, sage, silver, orange, and many other great colors.

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