St. Louis likes to claim the first cocktail party: in 1917, Clara Bell Walsh asked about fifty friends to her house at noon on a Sunday for an hour of cocktails before lunch. The dress took longer to get its name. The Met credits Christian Dior with being the first to call an early evening frock a cocktail dress, in the late 1940s, and the word stuck because it described something real, a dress that sits between daytime and black tie.

 

This edit sorts them by colour first, then by length, fabric and cut. I start with black, because Vogue saw it coming in October 1926, when it called a long-sleeved Chanel dress in black crepe de chine the Chanel "Ford", the frock the world would wear. The black group runs from Hervé Léger's Backstage dress, close and sleek in the way the house is known for, to the Norma Kamali Strapless Fishtail, which flares out at the hem. The Cinq à Sept Nova is bouclé with a fringe trim, the Show Me Your Mumu Celine is a slip with a long lace skirt and the MILLY Haddy is faux leather with a pleated skirt. The A.L.C. Renzo halter and the Caroline Rose Boat Neck Dress are the two I would wear to a work party.

 

My test for a black dress is daylight. Black fabrics fade at different speeds, and black satin next to black crepe can look like two colours, so check it by a window before you add black shoes or a bag.

 

What I would skip: a black dress so plain that you need a necklace to make it feel like evening. Pick one with a detail you love.

The most famous cocktail dress in film is ivory. William Travilla designed the halter dress Marilyn Monroe wore over the subway grate in The Seven Year Itch in 1955, with a softly pleated skirt that falls past the knee, and it is still the shape I picture when someone says white party dress.

 

Pale dresses read as fresh rather than formal, which suits a cocktail invitation. The DELFI Cleo is a white mini with a draped front, the Shona Joy La Lune is an ivory bustier mini and the Runaway Averie is strapless with a soft ruffle at the neckline. Helsa's Matte Jersey Open Back Dress is the long one, ivory with long sleeves and a bare back. For colour that stays soft, the Maude Club Tommy is lilac, the MAJORELLE Ceci is a pale blue halter, the LIONESS Glory is pale pink with long sleeves and the Elliatt Saylor is a pink one-shoulder mini with a long drape. Alexis' Aravine is butter yellow with embellishment, and Fait Par Foutch's Adrienna is ivory with a black collar, the one I would choose if I wanted white to look a little sharper.

 

My test for a pale dress is the lining. Hold it up to a lamp, and if you can see the seams or the outline of your hand, plan on a slip or skin-tone underwear before the night out.

 

What I would skip: white or ivory to a wedding, unless the couple asked for it. Save these for birthdays, engagement parties and anything on a rooftop.

Jasmin Larian started Cult Gaia in 2012, straight out of FIT, and the label began with flower crowns and headpieces she made for friends. Its dresses still look as if they were built around a single bright idea, and the yellow Labella is the one that opens this group for me.

 

Colour is the easiest way to look dressed up without adding anything. The red ones are the NIA Lorenzo halter, the FARM Rio Flower Petal Mini, the For Love & Lemons Opal and the Tiger Mist Janine, off the shoulder with long sleeves. Deme by Gabriella's Bridget is green and one-shouldered with a long panel of fabric, and the Lulus Prism Sash Mini is hot pink. For shine, the GUIZIO Estelle is a sheer gold knit and the Sabina Musayev Tinka is a bronze midi with a deep V. Rails' Monique is a navy satin slip and Susana Monaco's Halter Gathered Dress is the long navy one. For print, the Katie May Claudette is a pink brocade bustier mini and the Bec + Bridge Blaise is a halter in a soft floral, and L'Academie's Astor in charcoal is the quietest of the twenty.

 

My pairing tip: with a bright dress, choose a shoe in a neutral close to your skin or in the colour of the dress itself. A second strong colour at your feet splits the look in half.

 

What I would skip: matching your bag to the dress in a strong colour. It looks planned in a way that a cocktail party does not need.

Mary Quant did not invent the short skirt, but she named it. She sold her clothes from Bazaar, the King's Road boutique that opened in 1955, and called the miniskirt after her favourite car, the Mini. The cocktail mini is the grown-up version of that idea: short, simple and made for moving.

 

These are the minis I would reach for when the invitation just says cocktail. CULTNAKED's Babygirl is a green sequin halter and Amanda Uprichard's Marshall is black sequins, the two for a party with a dance floor. Lovers and Friends' Laura is black and off the shoulder with long sleeves, Camila Coelho's Nievia is ivory with long sleeves and a high neck, and the DE LA VALI Terran is pale yellow with sheer sleeves. For a warm evening, the SNDYS Allena is pale blue and off the shoulder, the superdown Carmela is a cream strapless mini and the Tularosa Etta is a brown halter. Stone Cold Fox's Ollie is white lace with a halter neck, and the French Connection Whisper Ruth is the simplest shift here.

 

My test for any mini is the stairs. Walk up a flight in it, then sit on a bar stool. If you are tugging at the hem, go up a size or choose one a little longer.

 

What I would skip: a plunging neckline and a very short hem in the same dress. Pick one and let the other be quiet.

In February 1947, Christian Dior showed his first collection in Paris, and Carmel Snow of Harper's Bazaar told him his dresses had such a New Look. The full skirts fell below mid-calf, and that length has been the polished choice for an evening party ever since.

 

Midi lengths keep the look polished while staying easy to walk in. The Alice + Olivia Hana tie strap midi and the STAUD Davina are the two I would pick for a wedding in cooler months, the Hana in a painterly print and the Davina with a black top, an ivory skirt and a green sash. The Fleur du Mal rib midi is the red one for a night out, off the shoulder with long sleeves, and NBD's Mohini is red too. V. Chapman's Capulet is white lace, LPA's Elsie has a black tulle skirt and Miss Circle's Bellis is navy and off the shoulder with a fur trim. For the cleanest lines, the Theory funnel neck draped midi and the Michael Costello Jenson, black with cutouts at the waist, are the ones to try, and the Reformation Marlette is a dark floral.

 

A pairing tip: a midi wants a shoe with some substance, a pointed pump or a slim block heel. A delicate sandal can look unfinished under a hem this long.

 

What I would skip: a midi that ends at the widest part of your calf, worn with a flat shoe. Add a heel or ask a tailor to move the hem.

On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in a sheer dress by Jean Louis, sketched by a young Bob Mackie and sewn with 2,500 rhinestones. Sparkle has been the shortcut to a party ever since.

 

Sparkle is made for the holiday party circuit. SIMONMILLER's Fountain is covered in sequins and beads in amethyst, with a V neck, and Norma Kamali's sleeveless sequin mini is the silver one. Asta Resort's Yasmin is hand beaded satin in green, and the Sandro Santaluna and the SONIA RYKIEL Domino keep the shine at the neckline, the Domino with long sleeves. For black, the Mac Duggal beaded midi sheath and the Adrianna Papell beaded crepe bow dress are the two I would wear to a work dinner, and Kobi Halperin's Rives has beaded fringe at the hem. The LoveShackFancy Casslouie and the Alice + Olivia Charlotte, a velvet mini with a crystal trim, sit right alongside them, and endless rose has a strapless mini with raised floral embroidery.

 

My test with sequins is the inside of the arm. Rub the side seam against your wrist for a few seconds, and if it scratches now, it will feel worse after three hours.

 

What I would skip: a sequin dress with a sparkly bag and sparkly shoes. One shiny thing is a party, three is a costume.

Tadashi Shoji launched his label in Los Angeles in 1982, and lace has long been part of it. Octavia Spencer wore a custom Tadashi Shoji gown to the 2012 Academy Awards, the night she won Best Supporting Actress for The Help. His Brone Illusion Lace Cocktail Dress is the one I would start with here.

 

Lace brings softness to a cocktail dress, and the colour decides how formal it feels. Self-Portrait's Black Fine Lace Peplum Midi Dress has a square neck, short sleeves and a peplum ruffle at the waist, and the Reformation Ellery is black lace in a shorter, simpler cut. Retrofête's Ysolde is teal lace with a high neck and long sleeves. Eliza J's asymmetric lace dress is navy, and the Teri Jon pintuck dress has a ruffle hem, and both are easy to wear to a wedding. DES_PHEMMES has a feather-trimmed lace mini in a golden olive, and Bronx and Banco's Saba is embroidered tulle with leaf appliqués over a short lining.

 

My test with lace is the edges. Look at the neckline and the hem: lace finished with a scalloped edge looks far richer than lace that has simply been cut and hemmed.

 

What I would skip: black lace over a black lining for a summer party. It reads heavy in daylight, and navy, teal or olive lace feels lighter.

Marcelo Gaia grew up in Queens and worked for almost a decade as a stylist before he founded Mirror Palais in 2019. Its Ruffled Chiffon Mini, a red strapless dress with a skirt that moves, sets the tone for this group.

 

Skirts with movement are for the dance floor. Aje, which Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest founded in 2008, makes the Cleo, a yellow chiffon mini with tiers of ruffles, and SIEDRÉS' Floriana is ruffled devoré chiffon. The Donna Karan satin dress has long sleeves and a flounce hem that is higher at the front. The Heiress Beverly Hills halter A-line and the Misook eyelet A-line swing the most of the black ones, and the ALLSAINTS Fawn pleats move quietly at midi length. The Ever New Bowie is a mini that comes with its own shawl, which I like for cooler evenings.

 

My test is simple. Spin once in the fitting room, and if the skirt lifts and settles without clinging to your legs, the fabric has enough body to dance in. Chiffon and satin do this best, and heavy jersey rarely does.

 

What I would skip: a ruffled dress with a ruffled shoe or bag. Keep the extras flat and let the skirt do the moving.

The modern fitted party dress owes a lot to Hervé Léger. His first Paris boutique closed in 1989, and a few months later he developed the bandage dress, knit strips that hold the body like a second skin. His label's Backstage dress opens the black group above.

 

These are close-fitting dresses in jersey, knit and crepe, from ruched midis to a clean sheath. Veronica Beard's Charissa is a black ruched midi, and WAYF's Selene is ruched navy with long sleeves. Ronny Kobo's Delphine is a brown halter ruched along the side, and IRO's Houle is a raspberry stretch knit with a V neck, ruching on the skirt and a bubbled hem. Aidan Mattox's Stretch Mikado Midi is the most structured, Maje's Cowl Back Midi saves its detail for the back, and Karl Lagerfeld Paris has a scuba crepe sheath with chiffon sleeves. Marella's Mllpatto has an asymmetric cutout at the shoulder.

 

Choose a fabric with some stretch so you can sit and dance. My test is to sit down in it and lift both arms, and if the hem rides up past where you are comfortable or the seams pull across the back, try the next size.

 

What I would skip: shapewear that shows a line through a thin knit. Seamless underwear or a smooth slip works far better under these.

Sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann founded their label in 1991, after Nicky had been selling her dresses at the Paddington markets in Sydney. Its Silk Wrap Mini, black with long sleeves, is the dress in this group I would wear the most.

 

A sleeve adds coverage without taking away from the party feeling, and Chanel's black Ford dress had long sleeves back in 1926. Black Halo's Kenna is an oxblood mini with padded shoulders and a V neck, made in the USA. PatBO's Sirena is green stretch lace with long puff sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, and Hunter Bell's Salter is moss green sequins with a boat neck and an open back that ties. Bananhot's Marissa is burgundy sheer mesh, ruched and fitted, with a scarf detail. For black, Marcella's Gia has a floating mesh overlay and Lauren Ralph Lauren's georgette dress has a cape in place of sleeves. Alice and Olivia's Chara pairs a brown mock neck top with a leather-look skirt.

 

My test for sleeves is to reach forward as if for a glass across the table. If the shoulder seam pulls or the cuff rides halfway up your arm, the sleeve is cut too narrow for an evening of moving around.

 

What I would skip: a heavy coat over a long-sleeve dress for a short walk. A wrap or a cropped jacket keeps the line of the sleeve.

Rodarte was founded in Pasadena in 2005 by the sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who named it after their mother's maiden name, Rodart. Its polka dot silk mini is the kind of dress I would keep for years, and it opens this last group of silk, satin and statement dresses.

 

More dresses I would not skip. Leo Lin launched his label in Sydney in 2017, and its appliqué, embroidery and beading are finished by hand in the brand's own atelier in Dalian, China. His Roselle mini has a bow at the front. SIMKHAI has four here: the Davina in sequins, the Sumi in embellished silk, the Darcie in metallic jacquard and the Ella in embellished crepe. STAUD's Adriana is draped silk and its Cece is a sequined midi. For plain satin, the Marlies Grace Diana, the De La Vali Catalina, the BONDI BORN Ardea with its tie neck and the Significant Other Luka with its draped cowl are the easiest to dress up or down. Temily's two silk minis, Summer Bones in foiled silk and Theatre for Dreamers in parachute silk, are the most unusual, and the Conner Ives shell-embellished halter is the one people will ask about.

 

A pairing tip: satin shows everything, so steam it on the hanger before you leave. Silk and satin also look best with a matte shoe in suede or leather rather than another shine.

 

What I would skip: a satin slip on a cold night without a plan for a coat. These are cut to skim, which leaves no room for a sweater underneath.

At the 2020 Oscars, Jane Fonda presented Best Picture in a red beaded Elie Saab gown she had first worn at Cannes in 2014, part of her promise to stop buying new clothes. Nobody thought less of the dress the second time.

 

A great cocktail dress earns its place by working across seasons. Change the shoes, the jacket and the jewelry to give it a new life: a black mini with a blazer and loafers for a dinner, then the same dress with a sequin heel and a red lip for a holiday party.

 

The ones in this edit I think will work hardest are the black dresses, the midis and anything with sleeves, because they move from October to March with only a change of shoes. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Mini Dress Edit and How Much Should A Secondhand Party Dress Cost.