Recently, my friend who in terns at G105, a Raleigh-based radio station, invited me to the promotional Little Black Dress party. It was an open invitation and there was no cover charge.
“All you have to do is wear a little black dress,” she said.
I immediately became excited to see Ra leigh’s ladies turn it out in their best fall cocktail looks.
However, upon walking into the museum’s candle-lit event room, it seemed to me that many had missed the cocktail attire memo. Sure, the titular little black dress was present en masse but so were details that seemed inappropriate such as bland polyester work blazers, summery cork wedges and in a few cases, com bat boots. Notably absent from most ensembles was the presence of jewelry.
A lot of these women looked like they were headed to the office and not a cocktail party. I was confused and immedi ately stricken by the familiarity of this situation. So many times I have seen girls looking nice but inappropriately dressed for their sur roundings.
At that moment, I realized that some people dressed without regard to the tone of the occasion. I’ve noticed girls looking overdressed for a show at King’s Barcade or oddly professional for a girl’s night at Fox’s Liquor Bar. I recall the girls giving class presen tations, wearing nice button down blouses, pencil skirts, and sparkly, strappy sky-high heels that only be long in a club.
A lot of women my age dress in appropriately for an occasion. They choose outfits without taking into ac count the textures, fabrics and design features, which make some clothes appropriate for daytime professional settings and others perfect for night’s semiformal settings.
To many, there seems to be day-to-day casual attire and then “dressing up,” with the latter often blurring the lines between what is worn to the office and what is worn on a date or to the club (hence pantsuit jackets at cocktail parties and sexy sandals in interviews).
Now let us bring this back to little black dresses. I know it’s 2013 and we’re discarding outdated fashion ideas every day, and I think that’s great. I also think you should wear white after Labor Day, expose your tattoos and even wear your underwear on your head if you want. But those are risks and a huge part of taking sartori al risks. If you’re wearing combat boots to a cocktail party, something tells me you need to become better acquainted with some basic rules.
A few easy guidelines can lead to the perfect little black dress ensemble for a cocktail party, which both allow you to avoid looking like you’re going into the office and is formal enough for the occasion. First of all, you’re going to need a little black dress. Cocktail dresses should be made out of silk or polyester, and when in doubt, something other than cotton with shinier finishes makes the garment dressier.
It also helps to not overdo it. Pick one piece of blingy, larger jewelry, or a few pieces of smaller jew elry. Wood and plas tic shouldn’t be worn at night, but enamel, rhinestones or semi-pre cious stones add night-appropriate sparkle.
As for shoes, opt for strappy sandals, patent peeptoe pumps or anything metallic. You should typically expose more of your foot at night than during the day, say at the office. And all you need for a cocktail event is your ID, money, a lipstick and maybe your keys — so in vest in a small clutch bag and leave your big purse at home.
There you have it: a simple recipe that transcends genres and styles, serving the gothiest girl at Hot Topic and the hip-hop per diva alike, depending on what ingredients they put into it. Work your style and attitude into covering these cocktail party bases and you’ll always look appropriate, and never be left guessing about what you should or could wear.
