Cocktail Dresses for Evenings That Start at Six: Satin, Sequins and Corsets

Cocktail Dresses for Evenings That Start at Six: Satin, Sequins and Corsets

A guide to cocktail dresses in three moods: satin, silk and velvet, sequin and beaded, and strapless or one shoulder. I talk through how each one wears, what to pair it with and what to leave on the rack.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art says the cocktail affair of the 1920s generally took place between six and eight p.m., and that the dress for it was a short evening sheath with matching hat, shoes and gloves. I like that history because it is so specific. A cocktail hour is a small window, and cocktail dresses were made for exactly that window: dressed up enough for the night, short enough to move through a crowded room with a glass in your hand.

 

The Met also notes that early cocktail attire was set apart from daywear by its fabric, evening silk failles or satins rather than wool crepes or gabardines. That is still the easiest rule I know. Look at the surface first. If it catches the light, you are in the right place.

 

This first group is the soft, fluid end of the edit. The Donna Karan New York trio is the most useful thing here: the Satin Square Neck Midi Sheath Dress, the Halter Neck Printed Satin A-Line Dress and the Satin Draped-Waist Asymmetric-Hem Midi Dress. Merriam-Webster defines a satin weave as one that produces a smooth-faced fabric, which explains why these look so clean from across a room. Loulou de Saison's Fabio draped satin midi dress in brown is the one I would wear with bare legs and a sharp heel.

 

For the silk, Versace's Crêpe marocaine silk midi dress and STAUD's Davina Silk Blend Dress are the quiet ones. Magda Butrym brings two, a floral-appliqué cotton and silk midi in burgundy and a draped peplum version in white, and Dolce&Gabbana adds a floral silk-blend bustier dress in multicoloured print.

 

Then the velvet. Retrofête's Jackson velvet minidress in green, Eliza J's Velvet One Shoulder Cocktail Dress and French Connection's Carey Velvet Bow Shoulder Mini Dress all want a dark lipstick and not much else. Try the hem sitting down before you commit. A mini that looks right standing can ride up the moment you take a seat at the table.

A collage of satin midi dresses, velvet minidresses, embellished minis, one shoulder styles and corset dresses, and a mood photo of a woman in a sequined gown on a leather sofa.
Thirty-two evening dresses, from velvet minis to corseted bustiers.

Satin, silk and velvet cocktail dresses

Sequins, beading and a little noise

Sequins have a longer story than most of us give them credit for. Etymonline traces the word through French and Italian zecchino, a Venetian gold coin, back to the Arabic sikka, a minting die. Smithsonian magazine reports that gold sequin-like disks were found sewn onto King Tut's garments when his tomb was discovered in 1922. So when you put on a dress that glitters, you are doing something very old.

 

This group is the loudest in the edit, and I mean that kindly. Sau Lee's Grace Sequin Dress is the plainest way in: one idea, done well. Rachel Gilbert has two, the Calypso embellished tulle minidress in blue and the Zayn embellished minidress in silver. Là Fuori brings the Maris embellished minidress in pink and the Crystal Midnight embellished silk minidress in blue, and they sit well side by side because the color does the talking.

 

If you want texture instead of shine, look at Taller Marmo's Vegas Disco feather-trimmed minidress in gold and Loulou de Saison's Sonia feather-trimmed midi dress in white. Johanna Ortiz's Momentum dress, all swing and tassel, moves the way a good party should, a half beat behind you. STAUD's Jolie Embellished Strapless Dress and Giuseppe Di Morabito's Shoulder-embellishment asymmetric-hem mini dress keep the embellishment where your eye will land first.

 

Valentino Garavani's Crepe Couture crystal-embellished minidress in black is the sharpest of the lot, and Diesel's Beige Stretch Jersey & Metallic Finish Minidress is the relaxed cousin if the room is more bar than ballroom.

 

One practical note from the Canadian Conservation Institute: lay beaded clothing flat rather than hanging it, because the weight strains seams and threads. I fold these in tissue and lay them in a drawer. Then keep everything else plain, flat shoes in the bag for later and a small clutch.

Sequin, beaded and embellished cocktail dresses

Bare shoulders and sharp seams

Strapless, one shoulder and corset shapes are the ones that make an outfit feel decided. There is no neckline to fuss with and no sleeve to push up. You choose a line and let it do the work.

 

The one shoulder group is the easiest to wear. XSCAPE's One-Shoulder Ruched Midi Dress and Petal and Pup's Pontee One Shoulder Pleated Midi Dress both gather the fabric at the waist, which means you do not need a belt. Róhe's Paneled one-shoulder wool-blend midi dress in black is the sleeker option, and Mac Duggal's Taffeta One Shoulder Ruffle Bubble Mini Dress is the fun one, with a hem that stands away from the body and does not need much help from accessories.

 

Then the structure. Alex Perry's Draped virgin wool bustier dress in green and Magda Butrym's Bouclé wool and cashmere-blend bustier dress in brown are the serious pair, and a plain trench thrown over either looks right. Rachel Gilbert's Francesca floral-appliqué corset dress in pink is the romantic one. Bebe's Strapless 3D Lace Column Dress is the narrowest silhouette here, so check that you can climb a flight of stairs in it before the night.

 

What I would skip: a heavy necklace with a strapless or one shoulder neckline, and anything with a loud print on top of a structured bodice. These shapes already have a focal point, and a second one just crowds it. Leave the bare neck bare, or wear small earrings and call it done. Also skip fiddly strapless fixes you have not tested. Lift your arms, sit down and dance a little in the fitting room before you buy.

Strapless, one shoulder and corset cocktail dresses

How I would choose between them

Here is how I would choose. Start with the hour and the room, not the dress. Emily Post lists a short afternoon or cocktail dress, or a little black dress, as options under a semi-formal dress code, and advises erring on the side of formality when the event starts after six in the evening. She also describes a festive dress code, common for holiday parties, as essentially cocktail party attire with a seasonal touch. So velvet in December, satin in spring, sequins whenever someone asks you to dance.

 

Then test the fit in motion. Sit, reach, climb stairs and hug someone. If the dress passes all four, buy it. If it only works standing still, it will be a long night.

 

Finally, keep the rest of the outfit short. One bag, one pair of shoes you can stand in, one piece of jewelry. The dress is the sentence, and everything else is punctuation. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Dresses for Warm Evenings and Cocktail Dress Shapes, From Slinky Midis to Sequins.