Hannah emailed me about some absolutely gorgeous gowns and models on the cover of some Harlequin Desire novels, and collectively, we agree: she is Not Wrong.
Amanda: The Desire line still reigns supreme for best wardrobe.
Sarah: We could do a whole post of “which gown on a Desire cover is the greatest?”
Amanda: Everyone submits their own contender.
Sarah: YES. The Desire Gown Throwdown! Who’s in?
Shana: Meeeeee!
Amanda: We must use this gif and I’m in!
Amanda: I have a real wild card and I can’t wait for you all to listen to my TED talk
Maya: I’m in and here’s my favorite totally appropriate gif!!
Ok, maybe I have two favorites:
Lara: I’m so very much a thousand percent in!
Sarah: Ok, y’all. The Desire Gown Throwdown has begun!
Here are the Rules:
- You must select one (1) gown from a Desire cover.
- Pub date is not important.
- Trope is not important.
- The gown is the only thing that matters (she writes as she wears wool socks, two pair of sweatpants, and slippers).
- Make your best argument! A moving soliloquy about why your Desire gown is the greatest of all Desire gowns? Absolutely! Bring It.
Shana: I have narrowed it down to my top four options, but I’m finding it hard to choose!
Kiki: Following many days of contemplation and several screenshots taken while riding an MBTA bus, I have made my final decision.
We have sparkle, we have shimmer, we have a sweetheart neckline AND a little off the shoulder sleeve to help hold all that goodness up while giving the décolletage alllllll the attention it deserves.
Perhaps a semi transparent skirt along the side of the legs?
A little baby bump accommodation space? But no one is looking at that bump, they’re looking at that choker!
A gown that is all that and STILL has room enough not to be over shadowed by a jeweled choker?
Fine folk of all genders, as Beyoncé once said: “Texas.”
Sarah: This is a throw. Down. Also I love a sweetheart neckline.
Amanda: I welcome you all to this meeting tonight to really challenge our definition of the word “gown.”
Shana: I think you should get to define what gown means to you.
Sarah: I agree. You pick and TED talk your entry however you want!
Amanda: To me gowns – beautiful gowns, gorgeous gowns – are the epitome of fashion and often make me question: Would I wear that?
Out of all the Desire covers I spied, there were indeed some lovely dresses but not any I could be sure I would wear. (I love a strapless or off the shoulder moment, but my larger bust size means having to wear an uncomfy strapless bra.)
Then I saw this little number.
Everything is on point – from the jewelry to the shoes to her cute little accessory wearing a fashionable Western wear shirt.
But what makes this the most superior out of all these other choices?
It’s the most likely to have pockets. I rest my case.
Shana: No one makes me drool over dresses like Harlequin Desire. But I’m also a member of the big boob club, so I can’t help noticing that few of these strapless, backless gowns would work with a comfortable bra. Even fewer would actually look good without bust support.
Enter, this slinky orange number. It’s undeniably sexy, with luxurious fabric that looks like it would slip over your skin and pool heavily on the floor.
But even better, you don’t need to wear a bra. At least, she’s not wearing one, and I wouldn’t either. This dress is basically an upscale version of a nightgown. The top is low enough to allow a lover easy access to your best bits, but covered enough to wear out of the house. It’s perfect for my glamorous pajama femme lifestyle.
This is clearly, the best Desire gown.
Amanda: Definitely a swanky house dress for sure, Shana. A lot of dresses are bejeweled too, so I like this more simple design.
Lara: Scrolling through pages and pages of Desire gowns is no hardship. Stunning! Gorgeous! Love them! BUT once I started imagining myself INSIDE these dresses…. that changed the game. I present for your delight, my entry into the Desire gown throwdown: this sapphire blue number!
First, you can totally rock your comfiest bra with this gown. Major bonus points.
It *maybe* has pockets too – I mean, look at that volume – pockets could so easily fit in there! Also, the combination of the satiny smooth fabric, the volume of that fabric and that picture perfect thigh split makes this a sultry number.
It’s giving me sexy pyjamas, and that is the PEAK of desire for me.
Amanda: I love a dress with sleeves!
Shana: Damn, that is a fabulous dress. I love a high slit.
Sarah: It has sleeves???!!!! How? How is this possible??
Lara: It is the gift that keeps on giving!
Maya: Ok, so I struggled a bit with this extremely low stakes exercise, because I am forever ridiculous. Blessed with an abundance of fancy dresses on the Desire covers, I’ve spent more time than was likely necessary trying to decide what my favorite gown was.
Was I looking for something sparkly?
Or a dress with a daring split?
I do love intricate lace!
But short and tight is always fun!
Through the many MANY pages I clicked through, I remembered the most important thing about a gown is how it makes it you feel. In the best kind of dress all of the detailing becomes irrelevant because you feel beautiful and the luminosity of that joy takes over everything else. So my vote for the best gown is all about who looks like they are having the most fun in their gown. BEHOLD:
Sarah: And no shoes!!
What fashion. What panache!
Maya: Babies don’t need pockets!
Sarah: And yet both my children had clothing with 10 times the number of pockets than I had, and at that age too.
Maya: That is so wild that I have no words, besides the thing I’m always at the verge of yelling regardless of circumstances: Burn down the patriarchy!
Lara: That tiny child is living her best life in that gown!
Sarah: I don’t know if I can top the delighted baby or the pockets (that child is living their absolute best life) but this is my submission to the gown throwdown:
Silky, flowing style, gorgeous color, and while it does appear to be a halter top, that can show off the elegant assets to marvelous effect.
But what grabbed me about this gown, in addition to the color, is the way the style of the bodice and skirt, with the overlap of fabric and the pleats at the waist, will allow the wearer to eat and drink and dance as much as they want.
This is a gown that would make me feel comfortable and elegant and that is what I want in formal wear. Usually there’s dancing if I’m dressed up that much!
Lara: This gown is dreamy!
Shana: I like the argument that this dress is the fancy version of elastic waist pants. And Purple is my favorite color!
Sarah: It’s going to be a TOUGH Contest, y’all.
And now – THE VOTING. We have each submitted our contender for the Desire Gown Throwdown. The winner is up to you! Please cast your vote below, and if you’d like, you can support your choice with additional arguments in the comments. We want to hear what you think!
Which gown reigns supreme? Click your choice, then hit “Submit!”
Update! And our winner, by one vote, is One Night in Texas, submitted by Kiki! Congratulations, Kiki!
None of the reviewers knew this, but the prize is comfy pajamas. 😀 Enjoy your comfy pajamas Kiki!!
I voted for the faux leather pants because I secretly want a pair myself and am wondering why more romances aren’t set in Nashville. Or maybe they are and I’m just looking on the wrong Goodreads lists?
Anyway someday when I’m done with school and have money I’m getting a pair of faux leather pants.
The Rebel Heir gown. Very elegant.
These are all gorgeous! The winner for me is that sunny orange, comfy yet sexy housedress on Marriage by Arrangement.
I have to go for the orange from Marriage by Arrangement- that color is incredible and striking and she’ll look fabulous lounging on a sofa in the penthouse or out with the high rollers (that backdrop reads Vegas to me).
At last—love for the Desire line’s covers! I’ve said before that not only are the covers beautifully done in lovely color palettes with attractive cover models, gorgeous gowns, and statement jewelry (and the tuxedo-rocking males aren’t too shabby either), but—because the Desire line tends to be more ethnically diverse than other Harlequin imprints—cover models are often POC. I chose THE REBEL HEIR: not only are the models and their clothing gorgeous, but I love how the city in the background is rendered in an impressionistic style with the color tones of that beautiful gown.
Here are a couple of my other favorite Desire covers:
Naima Simone’s SECRETS OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND:
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-One-Night-Stand-Billionaires-ebook/dp/B08XC1HT7M/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=JPVMP6LPR848&keywords=naima+simone+secrets+of+a+one-night+stand&qid=1640004778&sprefix=naima+simone+secrets+of+a+one-night+stand%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-3
And her TRUST FUND FIANCÉ:
https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Fund-Fiancé-Texas-Cattlemans-ebook/dp/B085MH2DH1/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=JPVMP6LPR848&keywords=naima+simone+secrets+of+a+one-night+stand&qid=1640004778&sprefix=naima+simone+secrets+of+a+one-night+stand%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-5
Just gorgeous!
The Silver Sparkles win Best Daydreaming About This Dress, the orange, purple and blue ones all look comfy and have at least one thing i really love, but high splits make me too uncomfortable, and the baby definitely wins something for that smile. In the end though, i have to side with Amanda’s Variant Dress here. That rocking pant outfit is the only one i could see myself feeling confident, fun, and flirty while wearing out and about. (OK, chunkier heels cause my balance isn’t up to the challenge of those shoes, but they’re pretty!)
My vote is for Sin City Seduction – sleeves! thigh slit! Silk caressing her body while she pretends it’s his hands!
(also bonus points for the hair)
I headwank that when they shuttered the Kimani line, they gave all the cover designers jobs on the Desire line. Because no other line had the bold saturated colors and that Kimani had and now I am seeing them pop up in Desire. One of my very recent favorites was Kianna Alexander’s ‘After Hours Redemption’ — what gorgeous cover and couple. And her dress was pretty too.
@DiscoDollyDeb. I love the blue on the Trust Fund one!
My view for the contest though is Sin City Seduction. I’m always cold and love nothing more than long sleeves.
I love, love the Rebel Heir dress, but in terms of a dress I could actually wear, as a member of the massive boob club I can’t pull off a halter, so Sin City Seduction it is. I love blue and I could wear that dress forever and feel comfortable and sexy.
“The Rebel Heir” – it’s my favorite of the bunch, color-wise (no teal/deep turquoise to confuse my choice) and I could imagine wearing it myself. And it could have pockets. Yay!
The One Night in Texas gown – so glam! So classic!
It was a close call between Sin City and Rebel Heir (I feel like I’m commentating a horse race) but I went with Sin City because that’s my favorite shade of blue
Because I couldn’t choose between the orange, purple or blue gowns I voted for the baby with all that joy 🙂
From the Desire catalogue, here’s one I could personally covet: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335735201_a-very-intimate-takeover.html
And here’s a beautiful one with sleeves: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335209443_in-bed-with-his-rival.html
I’m goin with the company bra and sleeves. That slit & those legs are stupendous!
Texas, definitely.
I definitely can’t consider gowns in terms of what would I most like to wear, because anything I’d like to wear disqualifies gowns as a category. It just seems like the wrong approach. The point of a tiara is not which is the most practical. You’re not looking for the warmest bikini.
But if we’re talking practical, can I just whine about pleather pants for a moment? I can’t tell you how many pairs I have bought but easily half a dozen (sorry planet earth) because I find them irresistible every time, and every pair, every single pair, has irreparably split down the ass while I was wearing them. I am incapable of learning from my mistakes but I tell you the whole concept is terribly, irredeemably flawed. It’s cruel, is what it is.
Marriage by arrangement… that silky gown in the tangerine color is *chef kiss*
Back in the day I read the luxe series for the dresses on the front. Fun fact, the last book of the series had a Maggie sottero design in the front and that was the brand of my wedding gown. Coincidence? I think not. Behold the cover of that book: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/splendor_anna-godbersen/285813/item/3257580/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAk4aOBhCTARIsAFWFP9HGJR-a718S3zJKxl61txltI3t5xNJOLUwAq9SaX4ZVdKiS2eS-eEEaAjIfEALw_wcB#idiq=3257580&edition=5254611