22 Beautiful Black-Tie Dresses That Are Magically Under $250

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols
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Have a black-tie event coming up? Don't have a dress to wear to it? Don't want to spend thousands of dollars on one but also don't want to rent one? We feel that. The glitz and excitement of such a fancy event shouldn't be squandered by the stress of figuring out how to access an ensemble that fits the dress code. While we are firm believers in stocking up your wardrobe with all the basics, we also understand that sometimes you just wait until the last minute to buy the things you need, and if that's the case for you, we want to make sure you know that procrastination doesn't always have to come with a hefty price tag. 

Curious to see if affordable black-tie dresses even existed, we stalked the internet to see what we could find for under $250. Hate to break it to you, but the dress pictured above is Jacquemus. However, this $198 dress that we found looks a whole lot like it, no? And much to our surprise, retailers are flooded with more budget-friendly options that still look so expensive. Now, we're not saying $250 is "cheap," but as far as this formal category goes, it's pretty practical. Ahead, shop the 22 best affordable black-tie dresses we could track down. Buy any of these, keep them in your closet for years, and never be ill-prepared or stressed out for a fancy event again.

Editorial Director

Lauren Eggertsen is currently the editorial director ofBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing and has worked at the company for over eight years, where she started as an associate editor and has since worked her way up. Lauren has over 10 years of experience in the fashion editorial space, starting her career with internships at Marc Jacobs, Marie Claire, and The Zoe Report, where she was later hired as their editorial assistant. Lauren has worked in the Los Angeles and New YorkBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing offices but currently calls L.A. home. It is here where she leads and managesBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing 's fashion team and oversees all day-to-day editorial content and large tentpole moments. This includes all of the runway, trend, and shopping-driven content that ultimately helps to build a strong brand reputation within the industry. Lauren's role also includes helping to set the fashion direction for all original photo shoots and often styles many of the celebrity cover shoots, including big names like Kaia Gerber, Normani, and Kristen Stewart.

She has also attended multiple fashion weeks, including New York, London, Milan, and Paris, where her personal style has been featured on sites such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Elle. She prides herself on discovering and supporting small brands and on her knack for a good vintage shopping find. When she isn't working, she enjoys researching and dining at reputable restaurants around both her neighborhood and the globe.