Cocktail Dresses

About

A cocktail dress is a knee length to midi length dress worn for semi-formal evening events such as cocktail parties, work functions and wedding receptions, sitting between casual and full black tie. Whether you reach for a sleek midi silhouette or a playful mini design, the right cocktail dress moves as easily from day to night as your plans do. What Is a Cocktail Dress? A cocktail dress sits in the middle of the dress code scale: more dressed up than a day dress, less formal than a full length gown. It typically falls at or below the knee, or to the midi length, in a fabric with enough structure or shine, to read as evening wear rather than office wear. The range spans a mini dress for a shorter, playful silhouette through to a midi cocktail dress for a longer, more covered line. Necklines, sleeves and prints vary widely, which is why the length and the setting matter more than any single design detail when working out if a dress counts as a cocktail. What Counts as Cocktail Attire for Women? Cocktail attire for a woman means a dress rather than separates, worn with heels, a small bag and simple jewellery. The aim is polished and glamorous rather than casual. A few reliable starting points: A midi length dress in a solid colour, such as a black cocktail dress , a white cocktail dress or a red dress , for cocktail parties, work functions and engagement drinks A mini dress for younger, higher energy events such as birthdays or a hens night A darker or jewel toned dress for winter cocktail attire, and a lighter fabric from our summer dresses range for events between December and February For milestone occasions such as engagements or significant birthdays, our event dresses collection covers a broader range of formality within the cocktail bracket If you only make one purchase in this category, a little black dress earns its place in almost any wardrobe, since it can be dressed up or down with accessories For most Australian cocktail dress codes, steer clear of full l