The Demetrios Evening A101 is a floor-length black cape dress built for the mother of the bride who wants presence without sparkle overload. The bodice is hand-beaded in tonal black lace with sequins worked through the motifs, so it reads as deep texture rather than glitter, and it runs past the natural waist to the high hip with a softly shaped hem that skims over the skirt instead of cutting across it. The neckline is a clean square, front and back, which is the most flattering line on a strong collarbone and the easiest neckline to wear with a single statement necklace or none at all. From the shoulder seam fall two sheer floor-length chiffon cape panels that drift behind her as she walks and settle when she stands, leaving the arms completely free underneath to hug, toast and dance. Below, soft chiffon falls in a full A-line to a light sweep, and the back closes high and clean over a concealed center zipper — no slit, no cut-out, no illusion panel. It comes in Black (photographed), Purple and Navy, cut in sizes 0 through 28 in the same design rather than a separate plus-size make, which is why it sits in our evening plus sizes and plus size collections as readily as the sample size. And yes — the mother of the bride can absolutely wear black. It is now one of the most requested colors for mothers of the bride and groom at evening and black-tie weddings; the only real etiquette is to check with the couple on their palette first. A101 works just as well for the wedding guest list, a guest of the family, a grandmother of the bride, a bar or bat mitzvah mom, a military ball or a charity gala. See it beside the rest of the Demetrios Evening collection and our best-selling evening and cocktail gowns.
A cape gown is the one silhouette photographs cannot settle for you. The cape panels hang from the shoulder seam, so where they break depends on her actual shoulder width and posture — too narrow and they pull forward, too wide and they slide; the square neckline has to sit level across the collarbone, which moves with frame and bra choice; and because the panels reach the floor, their length has to be set to the heel she will genuinely wear that night or they drag behind her on a dance floor. Chiffon also has to be hemmed by hand to hang straight, and a beaded bodice has to be taken in through the seams with the beading worked around by hand rather than stitched flat — both are everyday work for our in-house alterations department, and both are why women drive to us instead of ordering a cape gown online and hoping. Come try it on at Jan’s Boutique, 406 Marlton Pike E, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, about fifteen minutes from Center City Philadelphia and an easy drive from Princeton, the Jersey Shore, Wilmington, Delaware County and Bucks County. Our 13,000-square-foot store carries more than 15,000 dresses in stock across 50 dressing rooms, with a large dedicated mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom floor in sizes 0 to 28 — the same styles you see online, on real hangers, in your size. Jan's Boutique charges no sales tax on clothing, so the tag is the price. Call 856-428-8181 or book an appointment online — appointments are required, and special orders can take up to three months, so give yourself runway — and we will have A101 pulled in your size and color before you walk in.
