BY ADRIAN LEIGHTON

Cocktail Dresses 101 – Your Guide To These Fun Dresses

Cocktail dresses as we know them have been around since the 1920s. You’re probably aware of that iconic ‘flapper’ style like in the picture below. Unlike many older fashions though, cocktail dresses have stuck around and are now a dress that we find in almost every woman’s closet today.

This is an early cocktail dress from Chanel, and as you can see it looks quite similar to today’s styles!

Commonly worn at casual or semi-formal events, cocktail dresses are your ‘go-to’ choice for a night on the town, a meal with friends, or a hot date. Lighter, shorter, and usually less decorated than ball gowns, and other formal dresses, the cocktail dress is a versatile choice; and this include ‘little black dresses’ and we all know how adaptable they are!

Don’t think that they’re only short dresses though, as in fact they come in knee length, tea length, or ankle length, meaning that there’s a style for everyone’s tastes and every occasion!

Cocktail dresses can be made from many different fabrics and in different styles. Let’s explore some of them here:

A Line Cocktail Dresses

This is the iconic party dress style and was invented by Christian Dior in the 1950s. It’s a very flattering style for most women, as it has a defined waist, and tapers outwards over hips, tummies, and thighs in a capital ‘A’ shape. This makes it a great choice for almost every body shape, and why it’s beloved of women looking for a versatile dress that would suit everyone on occasions such as their wedding.

Do you love the classic lines of this cocktail dress style?

Strapless Cocktail Dresses

A strapless dress is a fun, flirty choice as it highlights your neckline and shoulders.

While not as forgiving as A-line dresses, they are more fun! Because they lack straps they often take the form of a bodice which grips around your upper back, not sliding down and also offering support to your chest (think corset, but part of the dress itself).

These dresses often include fitted waists, fitted bodices, body-skimming lines, and bubble, or A-line skirts.

Strapless cocktail dresses are a popular and beautiful choice.

Sheath Cocktail Dresses

A figure-hugging style for women with curvy or slim figures, this dress typically features a straight skirt and a high neckline. If you’re into parties and want to show off your figure, then a sheath dress is definitely the style for you!

Flirty and great for clubbing and parties, the sheath will show off your curves.

Defined Sheath Cocktail Dress

Much like the sheath dress above, this style features a defined waistline instead.
The problem with a sheath is that if you don’t have curves they can somewhat hang from you which is unflattering, but if the waist is defined with a belt then this gives your silhouette a natural curvy look.

The defined sheath will add extra curves, giving you a feminine silhouette.

Little Black Dresses

Probably the one ‘must have’ dress for any woman’s closet, any cocktail dress in black is an LBD. The beauty of these dresses is that they’re versatile, can be worn on most occasions, and are slimming thanks to the color.

When it comes to an LBD, just choose a style you love and remember to accessorize with some colorful make-up and accessories.

Little black dresses are one of the most versatile dress styles, and can be worn at most kinds of events!

Your Turn…

Which kinds of cocktail dresses do you prefer? When do you like to wear them?

Let us know by commenting below!

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