Better not sit down! X Factor finalist Amelia Lily steps out in astonishingly short dress

PUBLISHED: 17:46 EST, 27 April 2012 | UPDATED: 19:05 EST, 27 April 2012

As the comeback kid who turned last year's X Factor final upside down, Amelia Lily certainly knows how to grab attention.

And the 17-year-old did exactly that tonight, when she stepped out in Essex with a friend for an evening on the tiles.

Amelia's incredibly short dress left very little to the imagination, the skirt barely skimming the top of her thighs.

Little risky? Amelia Lily stepped out in an extremely short dress in Essex with a friend this evening

The black and pink number's reasonably high neckline gave a slight nod to modesty, but the cutaway back meant that she was covered only by thin strips of transparent black material.

Amelia teamed the dress with simple black heels, and kept her long platinum blonde hair loose.

Her companion went for a similar effect ensemble-wise, opting for a black lace affair with long transparent sleeves and a scooped back.

Clearly a favourite choice: Both Amelia and her companion opted for a deep-scooped back

Perhaps Amelia was hoping to cut loose a little after a few weeks spent working hard in the recording studio.

The teen, who only finished the X Factor tour weeks ago, has been busily working on her solo career, to build on her X Factor success.

She has reportedly signed a £500,000 record deal with Sony.

In the studio: Amelia tweeted a picture of her more low-key daytime look

Amelia tweeted prior to her night out: '3 weeks done in the studio! Back there very soon tho! Off to pack, then going up to my hometown boro tonight to see everyone! Woo so excited'

Her party look is certainly a far cry from her work gear, and she tweeted a 'grungy' photo from the studio to prove it/

She also wrote on twitter: 'Missing my loved ones so much, working hard, hope im doing you guys proud x'