If you're a woman and live anywhere but a cave, you probably already know a thing or two about cocktail dresses. Owning at least one of these dresses is an absolute necessity for every fashionable female.
However, elegant cocktail dresses are not cheap, and sometimes one is the absolute number you can afford. For this reason, most women should invest a little money in one versatile cocktail dress.
The LBD
When it comes to cocktail dresses, the all-time trophy holder is the little black dress, or LBD as the fashion world affectionately calls it. Little black dresses existed well before the 1960's. But it was Audrey Hepburn's dresses in the 1954 movie Sabrina and particularly in her 1961 movie Breakfast At Tiffany-s that helped secure the LBD lasting fame.
The LBD acts as the perfect backdrop for women to display various styles of jewelry and accessories. Using assorted sizes, styles and colors of jewelry can take a single LBD from demure enough for an office party to playful enough for dancing at a club. You can add color with a wrap, scarf or coat. A quick change of coat or wrap also makes it easier to adjust the dress to hot or cold temperatures.
The dark color helps hide stains and, in most cases, helps hide wrinkles. This makes the LBD ideal for long-term wear and perfect to pack for trips. Plus, the dark hue is slimming, which is never a bad trait in a piece of clothing.
Not only does the little black dress work for many different styles, but it also works for many different shapes. No matter your size, personality or taste, there's an LBD out there that's perfect for you.
Other Versatile Styles
Cocktail dresses come in almost any style. As long as it's a semi-formal dress with a skirt hem above the ankle, it's basically considered a cocktail dress. A dress with a skirt hem at or below the ankles is considered an evening gown.
The plainer and more basic the dress, the longer it will outlast trends. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have some fun with your cocktail dress, though, and you have an endless number of possibilities.
When choosing a cocktail dress with color, keep to basic colors that will match with everything. Brown, cream, white, purple, blue, green and red can work well, but orange, yellow and pastels can be difficult to pair with items. Metallic tones depend entirely on the style and exact hue.
Patterns can work with the right dress and colors. The busier and more detailed the pattern, the less likely it is to work for a variety of looks. Try to use patterns created from the basic colors, or neutrals. If you use a difficult color and pattern, the more likely it is that you will wear the dress only once.
You have a little room to play with fabrics. Silk, satin, taffeta, rayon and polyester are the most commonly used materials. However, linen, spandex, denim, jersey and leather can also be used with the right dress. If you're looking for a dress that you can wear more than once a year, though, stay away from the funkier fabrics.
Necklines for cocktail dresses include sweetheart, strapless, scooped, V-neck, turtleneck and halter top. Fun, but more stylized, necklines are ruffles, plunging, one-armed, wraparound and heavily trimmed. Common sleeve options are short, long or fitted. Styles that are more limited are puffed, ruffled, draping and one-armed sleeves. No sleeves or spaghetti straps are fine, as long as you match it with a wrap for colder conditions.
Decorations
Cocktail dresses can have sequins, embroidery, lace, glitter or beads. However, the more decorations a dress has, the harder it will be to pair with other items, and some decorations, like beads or sequins, might fall off after a trip to the cleaners.
If you're looking for a basic cocktail dress with just a little added fun, search for a beaded cocktail dress. Sequins and glitter are glitzy but not appropriate for every situation. Embroidery, lace and ruffles are a little easier to work with, but they still limit your cocktail dress.
Accessories
Part of owning a cocktail dress is having many different accessories to go with it. Wild assortments of scarves, coats, wraps and jewelry will all look fashionable with the dress, and you can spice up your look on a budget.
Regardless of the cocktail dress you choose, make sure you own at least one pair of versatile shoes to go with it. If you have a dress and shoes that match many styles, you're set for almost any kind of party.
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If you know proper dress hem lengths, you will be much less likely to make any unintentional social gaffes. |
