Unique Cocktail Dresses: From Chanel's 1926 Ford to Bows, Lace and Velvet

Dear Friends, on October 1, 1926, Vogue printed a small sketch of a black, long-sleeved frock and captioned it “The Chanel ‘Ford’: the frock that the world will wear is model 817 of black crepe de chine.” The magazine was comparing it to Ford’s Model T of 1908. The cocktail dress itself grew out of the 1920s cocktail hour, and Christian Dior was the first designer to name a design a cocktail dress, in the late 1940s. I went deeper on a related idea in Black Formal Dresses: The Chanel ‘Ford’ in Vogue’s 1926 Winter Mode.

 

So here is the lesson, and it runs the other way. The most interesting unique cocktail dresses are the ones that refuse to be a Ford: one strong idea, a bow, a lace panel, a cape, and nothing else competing with it. Below are modern options sorted by that single idea. I would start with the maker too. David Koma was established in 2009 in London and is known for sculptural statement dresses inspired by the feminine form.

 

Bows first. The Oversized Bow Mini from David Koma is black with a huge sculptural bow across an off-shoulder neckline, and it needs no jewelry at all. SIMKHAI’s Hope Bow Tie Mini ties at the neck of a black halter and flares into a full taffeta skirt, which I would pair with flat black loafers. Marc Jacobs has two: the Satin Pop J in ribbon pink, with its sculpted bow bodice, and a black Bow Dress with a folded satin bow at the bust. Norma Kamali, who was already making hot pants in 1968, the first in NYC, gives the red ruched strapless a long draped bow sash. Self Portrait’s Bow Lace Mini is black crepe with a lace-trimmed white bow.

 

The test is simple. Sit down in it. A sculpted bow should hold its shape when you do, and a strapless bodice should stay put when you lift your arms.

Lace is a classic cocktail move, and the modern versions are much less polite. HAELO’s Lace Veiled Mini is red, plunging, with long sheer sleeves over a built-in bodysuit lining, while the Inverted Lace Mini is a black sleeveless ponte dress with lace panels at the sides. LOBA’s Lucienne is a black lace midi with a sweetheart neckline, fully lined, and MORE TO COME’s Georgianna is black satin with scalloped lace at a v-neck. On the other side, the Attico’s black long-sleeve mini has sheer lace panels and an open lace back, and Sea’s Shay is golden yellow with a lace cape and scalloped trim.

 

A word on metal, since lace and links are cousins. Rabanne’s first show, on February 1, 1966, at the Hotel George V in Paris, featured models made of rhodoid lamella or disks linked by metal rings, and the house calls that its signature assemblage. The twisted stretch lace dress in magenta purple is a softer cousin, off the shoulder with twisted detailing. Monse’s Lace Asymmetrical Dress, a sleeveless black one in cotton, gives you the hem to match.

 

Before you buy, hold the lace to the light and look at the lining. The sheer parts should sit over skin tone or a lining that you chose on purpose, not a surprise. Picture her walking into a holiday party in the black Attico mini and a pair of opaque tights, the open back only for the people behind her.

 

What I would skip: sheer panels in a room where you will be hugging forty people, unless the lining is as good as the lace.

The cocktail hour started with Prohibition in the 1920s, tied to the private cocktail party. Salon, quoting the Met, says cocktail garb became the uniform of the progressive fashionable elite. Think of this as the loud corner, the one for dancing.

 

Feathers first. HAELO’s Feather Lace Mini is sheer black lace over a nude lining with feather trim, and Staud’s Albee is black silk with a sheer high neck and a feathered hem. David Koma’s Ruffle and Feather Balconette Mini is black and strapless with a pink feather and ruffle bodice. For fringe, AEXAE’s halter in cream is covered in soft shaggy fringe, and superdown’s Elaine is a black cami with a beaded fringe asymmetric hem.

 

Then sequins: Camila Coelho’s Energia in island green, SIMONMILLER’s Fountain in amethyst, with a plunging v-neck, and AREA’s Wrapped Sequin Mini in gold, a corset-style shape with a draped wrap and a trailing side panel.

 

The fitting-room test is movement. Shake your shoulders and check that feathers stay put, and tug the hem of fringe gently to see how it is attached. With sequins, run your hand down the seam and make sure nothing scratches.

 

What I would skip: sequins and feathers in the same outfit. Let one of them be the dress and keep everything else quiet.

In 1947, Dior’s New Look revived a voluptuous femininity in women’s dress after the loose shapes of the 1920s, and a corset bodice over a full skirt is still its simplest shorthand. Velvet and jewel tones are the cocktail party in winter, and they fit October very well.

 

The reds and plums come first. Nadine Merabi’s Harley is ruby red velvet with a structured corset bodice and a flared skirt, Shoshanna’s Lee is dark plum with a draped bow at the waist, and Leo Lin’s Ariel in ebony adds a bow-trimmed neckline to the corset shape. MARIANNA SENCHINA’s Best Lover is burgundy velvet with a sweetheart neckline, fully lined with a hidden back zip, and the one-shoulder cocktail dress in wine velvet has a front slit.

 

The greens are for people who want jewel tones without red. The Andamane’s Lilia is deep malachite with a plunging draped neckline, Christopher Esber’s Beach Glass is a bright green ruched halter with a bubble hem, and Alex Perry’s longline corset mini is bottle green.

 

Check the velvet in daylight, because it changes color with the light, and press a palm against it to see how the pile lies. A corset bodice should not move when you breathe in.

 

What I would skip: black tights with a green dress. Sheer nude or a dark wine tone is a quieter bridge.

Norma Kamali’s Sleeping Bag Coat was born in 1974 when she cut up her own sleeping bag after a camping trip. That is a good way to think about a cape dress: take a shape and let it wrap the body instead of tracing it. Capes and one shoulders make a silhouette from a single gesture.

 

Begin with the capes. Alex Perry’s One Shoulder Cape Sleeve Twist Mini is violet viscose with a twisted asymmetric front, SIMKHAI’s Sadia is a black mini with a draped cape overlay and a handkerchief hem, and Sid Neigum’s Cape Cowl Mini is red with a cowl hood neckline and a draped cape back. The Andamane’s Xenia in cabernet has a floral lace cape panel draped from one shoulder, and L’Academie’s knit mini in black has a draped cape sleeve over one side.

 

For one shoulder: SIMKHAI’s Cameron is black satin and long-sleeved with a wrap skirt, Essentiel Antwerp’s Klack is a black midi with a sculptural ruffle neckline, and Paris Georgia’s Ida is a navy ruched midi with a draped asymmetric neckline.

 

Lift both arms before you decide. A cape should still sit on the shoulder, and a one-shoulder neckline should not pull the dress sideways. In my fashion dreams it is a Sunday in October, a cold platform, and a red cape dress under a black coat.

 

What I would skip: a heavy necklace on one-shoulder necklines. The line of the dress is the jewelry.

I would sort it in this order. Pick the detail first: bow, lace, feather, velvet or cape. Then pick the color you already own the shoes for. Sit, lift your arms, and walk to the door before you decide.

 

Chanel’s 1926 Ford was pitched as the frock the world would wear. These forty ask for something else: one dress with one idea, chosen because it looks like you and nobody else in the room. Go and find yours, and let the hem do the rest. With love, and a very good hem,