Cocktail Party Clothes

Glamorous, yet sophisticated cocktail party dresses are an essential item for every girls wardrobe. Cocktail dresses are the perfect party dress, as they can be worn to all sorts of different occasions, not just cocktail evenings.

When you are looking for a cocktail party dress, keep in mind that it should be both figure flattering as well as fashion forward, and that it definitely ought to be classic as well as being made of quality fabrics.

Formal Cocktail Party Dresses

Once you receive your cocktail party invitation in the post, you can begin to look for the dress. It should say on the invitation how formal the event will be, or sometimes receiving an invitation anyway is a hint that it is a very formal occasion.

Start by going through your current wardrobe to see if there's anything in there that you might wear, or that could be updated (dyed, hemmed, embroidered, etc). Often there are gems in your wardrobe that lurk at the back and never get worn, so make sure you have a good look!

Then, if there's nothing suitable, start writing a shopping list of things you would look for in the perfect cocktail party dress, and more importantly styles that do NOT suit your body shape. It can be very easy to get carried away with a dress that you think is pretty and fashionable only to look back at pictures and realise that the dress line was totally wrong for you.

Formal cocktail dresses will definitely be made of some more expensive materials, like silk, chiffon, taffeta, satin, crepe, lace, tulle, georgette or velvet. It will feel luxurious when you touch it and have added detailing that you wouldn't expect at a casual occasion.

The length of cocktail party dresses is usually knee length or above, giving a slightly flirtier edge than an evening gown or prom party dress. The shape of the neckline will depend upon the occasion also, the more formal the occasion, the higher the neckline, generally speaking.

Simple, understated formal colors are perfect for an evening cocktail party, like mulberry, forest green, plum or navy blue. Patterns should not be present at formal parties, unless it happens to be a very expensive designer dress, as this can make some dresses look cheap. Think Audrey Hepburn glamour and elegant, graceful screen sirens of the past, and maybe go shopping at your local vintage party dress store for inspiration!

Casual Cocktail Party Attire

Casual occasions require playful and flirtatious dresses. Fun colors and vibrant prints are allowed at more casual occasion, so be creative with your look. It is also totally acceptible to wear a skirt and top, as long as they are fun and bright, and don't look like office wear.

If it's a fancy dress cocktail party, give some expert thought to your costume, from your hairstyle to the type of shoes you should wear. Keep in mind that some great outfits can be made by hand or found in thrift stores, but this will need a couple of days work. Concoct some excellent costume recipes by watching your favorite movies and choosing a character to replicate.

Sweater dresses are an excellent choice for winter cocktail parties, and can be dressed up with thick tights and heels as well as beautifully blow-dried hair. Or dress down your favorite little black dress with a colourful cardigan and a messy beach hairstyle.

Make sure that you don't look too much like you're going to a wedding by keeping the look more sexy than pretty. But avoid looking too overdone and ready for a night out, by applying subtle, natural make up.