Wedding season is every season, and that means understanding the rules of cocktail attire is critical all throughout the year – especially when there is a strict dress code. It’s a familiar scenario: you’re invited to a wedding, an engagement party, or even just a nice get-together with friends, and the host requests this particular style of dress. It’s not formal but certainly not casual – making the risk of doing too much or too little pretty high.
While most of us know exactly what cocktail (or mocktail) hour is, the dressing piece of the occasion leaves a little more room for interpretation. Below, we break down the history of the cocktail dress code, plus rules and tips around cocktail attire, so you’re prepped next time that invite hits your mailbox.
What is cocktail attire?
In the simplest of terms, it’s a semi-formal style of dress typically worn for early-evening and late-afternoon occasions. “Cocktail attire was first popularised in the 1920s as women in the US moved into the public social sphere and sought to find more individuality and shed the more confining gender stereotypes of the Edwardian era,” Michelle Gabriel, graduate programme director of Glasgow Caledonian New York College says. During the Edwardian era, women’s dress was elaborate, including corsets, long skirts and layers. In the decade following, the style of dress worn by flappers was a step in a more freeing direction with shorter hemlines and looser silhouettes, but still filled with the same level of detail and adornment.
“French couturiers like Chanel and Schiaparelli, increasingly dependent on American clients, took on the concept of cocktail dressing,” Gabriel says. “They offered luxurious, loungy dressing for hostesses of private, high-class cocktail gatherings. Hollywood films featuring Mae West and Greta Garbo, and growing international travel during the ’30s, helped to popularise these looks.”
Still, it wasn’t until decades later that the name was popularised by Christian Dior. At the time, cocktail hour was becoming the norm in households as women began to host parties between the hours of 6pm and 8pm. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Christian Dior was the first to name the early evening frock a ‘cocktail’ dress in the late 1940s, and in doing so allowed magazines, department stores, and rival Parisian and American designers to promote fashion with cocktail-specific terminology.” Dior’s New Look collection, which included dresses and blazer sets with cinched waistlines and voluminous skirts, defined a generation of style more versatile than ever before.
“Paris couturiers always have been an important source for US fashion industry since the 19th century. However, when Paris was occupied during [World War II] that source was no longer available even as an inspiration,” couture historian Adnan Ege Kutay adds. “After the war, the fashion industry needed to flourish again and women were ready to buy new clothes.”
In the 1950s, cocktail dresses were often mid-calf length and made of fabrics such as black taffeta, satin, and chiffon. Think: Audrey Hepburn’s party look in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
However, new trends emerged toward the second half of the century as young people began to include more freedom of expression in their dressing. In Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe, the authors – José Blanco F, Patricia Kay Hunt-Hurst, Heather Vaughan Lee and Mary Doering – explain that “Mod styles dominated cocktail dressing for young women in the 1960s. Along with the mod style, it was acceptable to wear a dressy suit to cocktail parties, and for women going directly from cocktails to dinner, a matching jacket could be worn over a dinner dress. Subsequently, the cocktail party came to embrace many types of events, and as a result, dress codes varied widely.”
What does cocktail attire look like today?
What’s appropriate for a cocktail dress code can vary depending on the occasion, the time of year, and even the hosts. But there are some key rules to keep in mind. While you can undoubtedly wear trousers, consider leaving the denim in your closet, and pairing your pants with a dressier silk top or one that has a more sophisticated silhouette than a basic T-shirt.
When it comes to dresses, the length can depend on the style. A long or midi-dress is appropriate with sleeker silhouettes (let’s stay away from the ball gowns). And a shorter dress can also work, but keep the occasion in mind with the length.
Patterns, like florals, for a spring or summer wedding are totally acceptable, but, generally speaking, make sure they’re appropriate for the occasion and the specifics of your host’s dress code. For example, some cocktail parties or events may specify that they would like guests to wear all black. There’s also the venue to consider and that’s when you may need to use your judgement: if your cocktail attire event is outside, or feels slightly more creative or casual, flowers might be the move.
Cocktail attire offers some leniency when it comes to suiting. Collared shirts or ties aren’t required, and tops can be used as the statement part of the look (like a pop of colour or a pattern). In some cases, though, a suit could be worn with a simple T-shirt. A general rule of thumb at a wedding is that if the groom is wearing a jacket, then male guests should also wear a jacket.
What shoes are appropriate cocktail attire?
Typically, any form of dress shoes are considered cocktail attire appropriate. For women that’s often heels, leather flats or even a heeled boot. For men, that can be a loafer or a dressy boot. Still, it’s important to consider the host and the event. Some cocktail attire events that take place outside might have grass, and a nice trainer or flat might be appropriate – please leave the flip flops at home.
Dress codes can feel restricting but ultimately, if you need to wear cocktail attire to an event like a wedding, the number one rule is to err on the side of caution and use the dress code as permission to dress up a little more than usual.
