Eleonora Fitted Glitter Dress with Open Back

A fitted glitter dress that keeps its surprise for the back

From the front, Eleonora is a modest dress: a round neck, sleeves to below the elbow and a hem above the knee. Then you turn around and there is a deep rounded cutout between the shoulder blades. Numoco made this fitted glitter dress in a stretchy fabric with a fine sparkle running through it.

There are three colours, black, red and navy blue, and four sizes from S to XL. The maker's size table gives a length of 94 to 95 cm.

At a glance

The piece: Eleonora by Numoco

Numoco states that this dress was produced in Poland. The description is one line long: a classic fitted dress with a cutout on the back, made of stretchy fabric. For the black and the navy the maker adds the word brocade, for the red the word glitter.

We looked at the photos of all three, and they show the same thing: a smooth, close-fitting knit with tiny points of light in it. So we call it what you will see when it arrives, a glitter dress, in three colours.

Our previous title described a flowing V-neck gown for weddings and galas. That was wrong on every count, and we have corrected it.

Who it's for

For you if you want a party dress that covers your arms and your chest and still has something daring about it. The open back does that without asking you to show cleavage.

It is a body-hugging cut. If you like room around your stomach and hips, this is not your dress. If you like a dress that follows every line, it is. One practical point: with this back you need a low-back bra or stick-on cups.

Closer look: what the maker's data and the photos show

• Fitted cut in stretchy fabric (maker's data)
• Cutout on the back, low and rounded (maker's data and photos)
• Round neckline at the front (photos)
• 3/4 sleeves that end below the elbow (photos)
• Fine glitter thread in all three colours (photos; the maker says glitter for red and brocade for black and navy)
• Hem above the knee on the model, 94 to 95 cm long (photos and size table)
• Small logo tag on the front hem (photos)

The maker's data does not mention a zip or a lining, and the photos show neither. With this much stretch the dress most likely pulls on over the head, but that is our reading and no stated fact.

Fabric and feel: stretch with a sparkle

The composition is 95% polyester and 5% spandex. The maker calls the fabric stretchy, and the photos back that up: it lies flat against the body without a crease at the waist.

The sparkle is fine. Under the lamps in the photos the black looks like a night sky, and the red and the navy glint when the model moves. Glitter yarns can feel a little scratchy on bare skin in some fabrics. We have no way to judge that from the data, so if your skin is easily irritated, keep the tags on until you have tried it at home.

Fit and silhouette: close from shoulder to hem

This dress is cut close everywhere. The maker's table lists, for size M, a chest of 82 cm, a waist of 68 cm and hips of 86 cm. For size L it lists 90, 76 and 92 cm. Those are small numbers, and they only make sense for a fabric that stretches a good deal when worn.

Because the table does not say how the dress was measured, do the check yourself. Lay a stretchy fitted dress that you like flat, measure across the chest and hips, double the numbers and compare. The length is easier: 94 cm in S and M, 95 cm in L and XL, which puts the hem above the knee on the model.

Size chart (cm)

Source: the maker's size table, the same for all three colours. The numbers are small because the fabric stretches; the table does not say how they were measured, so compare with a fitted dress you own.

Styling: hair up, back free

The model wears clear-strap heels, a watch, a few bracelets and a small clutch. The 3/4 sleeves leave the wrists bare, so bracelets are the obvious place for jewellery.

If you wear your hair down, the cutout disappears behind it. An updo or a low bun shows what the dress is about. Sheer black tights work with the black and the navy in winter. With the red we would keep the legs bare or go for skin-tone tights, and add gold-tone earrings.

Occasions

The wholesaler files it under evening dresses, and the glitter says December. Wear it to the office Christmas party, to New Year's Eve, to a birthday in a bar or to a dinner for two.

For a wedding it depends on the couple. It is short and close-fitting, so it suits an evening party better than a church ceremony.

Care: follow the label

The maker's data has no care instructions. Follow the label sewn into the dress, and treat the glitter kindly.

In general, fabrics with a metallic thread do better inside out, in a laundry bag and away from zips and hooks that can pull a thread. Skip the tumble dryer unless the label says it is fine.

The wow detail: the back

It is a simple curve cut out of a plain dress, and it changes everything. Walk into a room and you are wearing a neat dress with sleeves. Walk to the bar and people see skin from the neck to the shoulder blades, framed by glitter. We think that contrast is the whole point of Eleonora.

Fashion that gives back

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. We matched the causes to 11 of the 17 SDGs, the United Nations goals, so you can see what your share supports before you pick.

Our promise

Ships from the maker's wholesale partner in Poland, inside the EU, with tracking. The wholesaler lists up to 3 days to prepare an order; within the EU delivery usually takes 2–7 business days after dispatch. Delivery is free within the EU on orders from €69; below that it costs €4.95 in the Netherlands and €6.95 elsewhere in the EU.

You have 14 days after delivery to ask for a return, as long as the dress is unworn and still has its tags. Our promise is plain: if what arrives does not match what this page says, send it back within 14 days and we refund you.

More party and occasion dresses are in our evening dresses collection.