Black Velour Cocktail Dress with Sheer Long Sleeves

A black cocktail dress in velour, with long sleeves you can see through

This is a black cocktail dress for the months when you want your arms covered and still want to feel dressed up. Numoco made the body in soft black velour and the long sleeves in transparent tulle, so the skin shows through where it matters and nowhere else.

On the model it ends around the knee. The maker's size table gives a length of 95 cm in size S and 101 cm in L and XL. It is a fitted dress, close to the body from bust to hem, with a V-shaped neckline.

At a glance

The piece: model 201274 by Numoco

Model 201274 comes from Numoco, a label that sells its occasion dresses through a Polish fashion wholesaler. The supplier files it under evening dresses and says it was produced in Poland. We sell it in one colour, black.

The idea is simple. A dense, matte velour body, and sleeves in a fine see-through tulle that end in long velour cuffs. The two fabrics meet at the shoulder, so from a distance you see a black dress with a shadow of skin along the arms. Up close you see the texture of each.

The supplier describes the velour as pleasant to the touch and says the dress adapts to the figure. The photos agree: it follows the body without pulling. There is a small metal tag near the hem on the left side, the only hardware you can see.

Who it's for

For you if you like your arms covered but find long-sleeved party dresses heavy. The tulle keeps the look light while the velour does the warm, grown-up part.

It suits a woman who wants one black dress that works for a Christmas dinner and for a winter wedding party, and who would rather change her shoes and jewellery than her dress. The size range runs from S to XL, with a chest of 80 cm in S and 94 cm in XL, so check the table below before you order.

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

• Black velour body (maker's data)
• Long sleeves in transparent tulle (maker's data)
• Fitted velour cuffs that run from the middle of the forearm to the wrist (photos)
• V-shaped neckline with a soft curve (photos)
• Close-fitting cut from bust to hem (photos; the maker says it adapts to the figure)
• Hem around the knee on the model, 95 to 101 cm long depending on size (size table)
• Small metal tag near the hem on the left (photos)

The maker's data does not mention a zip or buttons, and the photos don't show one. If that matters to you, ask us before you order and we will check with the supplier.

Fabric and feel: velour with 5% spandex

The composition is 95% polyester and 5% spandex. Velour is a knitted fabric with a short, dense pile, which is why the black looks deep and soft rather than shiny. In the photos it catches a little light on the curves and stays matte on the flat parts.

The spandex adds stretch, which is how a fitted dress like this can follow the body and still let you sit through a long dinner. The sleeves are tulle, a fine open net. The supplier gives one composition for the dress and does not list the tulle separately.

Fit and silhouette: close to the body, down to the knee

This is a close fit. The table below comes straight from the maker. Size M has a chest of 86 cm, a waist of 74 cm and hips of 88 cm; size XL has 94, 84 and 98 cm. Length grows from 95 cm in S to 101 cm in L, and XL keeps the same 101 cm.

The table does not say whether these are garment or body measurements. The simplest check: lay a fitted dress you like flat, measure across the chest and the waist, double both numbers and compare. If you sit between two sizes, the stretch in the fabric is on your side, but a dress this close to the body will show every choice, so pick the size that matches your hips as well.

Size chart (cm)

Source: the maker's size table. It does not say whether these are garment or body measurements, so compare them with a dress that fits you.

Styling: let the sleeves do the work

In the photos the model wears clear-strap heels, a thin gold-tone chain and a few rings. That is a good guide: small jewellery, because the sleeves already draw the eye.

For a December dinner, add sheer black tights and pointed pumps, and a slim bracelet worn over the velour cuff. For a wedding party, swap the tights for bare legs and strappy sandals and carry a small metallic clutch. Going to the theatre straight from work? A tailored black blazer over the shoulders and low heels will get you there, and the dress still reads as an evening outfit once the jacket comes off.

Keep the neckline clear. A pendant that falls into the V is enough.

Occasions

The supplier suggests it for evening outings, celebrations and special occasions, and we agree: it is a black cocktail dress for the whole party season. Think Christmas and New Year's Eve, a birthday dinner, a wedding party in the colder months, an evening concert, an office party where you want to look put together without trying too hard.

Because it stops at the knee, it works where a long dress would feel too formal. For black-tie events that ask for floor length, this is not the dress; look at our long evening dresses instead.

Care: follow the label

The maker's data we receive has no care instructions, so please go by the label sewn into the dress. We would rather tell you that than guess.

Some general habits help with any velour: turn it inside out before washing, steam it rather than pressing it flat, and hang it to dry so the pile doesn't crush. Tulle snags on rings and zips, so keep the sleeves away from both in the wash.

The wow detail: a hard edge between two fabrics

Look at where the tulle meets the velour cuff. The sheer sleeve is gathered into it, so the cuff holds the tulle in soft folds and then runs smooth and dark to the wrist. It frames the hands. A bracelet on top of the cuff shows up clearly against the black, and a ring catches the light at the end of a sleeve you can see through.

Fashion that gives back

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. The causes are matched to 11 of the 17 SDGs, the global goals set by the United Nations, and you decide where your share goes.

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 black and occasion dresses are in our evening dresses collection.