A Definitive Ranking of Black-Tie Dresses I Want

When an invite comes in the mail and the fine print reads black tie, it always gives me pause. Truth be told, I often find dressing up a bit, well, boring. I can't say that I own many fancy dresses, so I wear one of the three simple, sweeping maxi dresses gathering dust in the back of my closet. Don't get me wrong, dressing up is fun, but sometimes the formality of a buttoned-up dress code up can keep me away from styles that fit my full-on personality. But with a goal set to embrace unique black-tie dresses (and prove that yes, they do exist), I decided to do a little online sleuthing (and by that I mean shopping).
After getting down to business, I rounded up my favorite unique black-tie dresses and decided to rank them all in order of, well, "uniqueness." From simple with a small twist to a major statement dress, I found a style that fits the bill. That way, no matter how bold you're willing to go (aka will grandparents be attending?), you'll have an option available.

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