How to choose the right cocktail dress that will ooze elegance

There is nothing as sexy as a cocktail dress. And while Coco Chanel’s 1920’s ‘little black number’ became the stuff of pink drink legends, it’s versatility and sensuality has stood the test of fashion time. Every wardrobe needs one, probably has at least one, and every season spawns a new incarnation.

The Little Black Number also does not have to be black. But the basics of a cocktail dress are a few simple rules that can either make it wow or its wearer look like a dhow.

Tips for choosing a cocktail dress

Here’s the rule of thumb: A cocktail dress must be well fitting, it’s purpose is to accentuate a woman’s curves and deliver a flattering silhouette, time and time again. If it’s too tight, it’s not going to get you there. To loose, and it may end up looking like a sackcloth with cleavage and cut-outs.

The fabric is equally as important. And while contemporary fashion may come and go, satins, silks and sheer chiffons are considered luxuriously sexy and timeless.

A touch of lace also never goes out of fashion, just don’t overdo it and end up brookie-lacing your look. Today, almost anything goes, but the simplicity and versatility, and the fabric remain essential.

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A little black number also does not have to be a dress anymore.

Skirts and tops can verge on elegant but this summer and next, tailored shorts with a twist can offset traditional silhouettes and even appear more daring and edgy than the stock standard cut-outs and middle-cleavage or side-boob looks.

The post-pandemic cheeky dress, first popularised by French designer brand Marcia, that its designer said “makes you feel more powerful and daring” without being too revealing. The dresses, open on the sides, place the focus on legs and body shape as opposed to the usual looking points of cleavage and cut-out.

Local tailor Sam Banda has brough the notion into the New Year and styled cocktail shorts along similar principles. It’s super-sexy, impossible to have a wardrobe malfunction and yet, will turn heads in all directions. Pair it with a simple, figure-hugging top.

Circling back to colour and fabric, online retailer The Lot have just launched a collection of incredibly sensual cocktail dresses where some would be as comfortable poolside as in an air conditioned, trendy cocktail bar or a night at the theatre.

The brand’s gold, holed-out gold cocktail dress is one of these. It’s see through, but it’s not, it’s revealing, but not, and it’s cut at just the right height to make leg-flattery a bonus to any ready hot look.

The Lot also stocks one of this season’s absolute must have dresses. It’s a black swirl across a mostly sheer base that covers all the important parts, is figure hugging and magically does not ride up. It’s also got built in underwire support.

Then, there is the little black number shaped into a rather complex, but incredibly sensual bandage dress. It can be personalised and cover-all at the top, reveal a sexy hint of under boob or a naturally silhouetted, traditional cleavage. The shape-shifting bands across your torso are enticing, visually.

It’s important to remember that dresses with a low-cut neckline, a slit or a cut-out that reveals some skin will never go out of style.

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Colours, beyond black and the occasional metallic indulgence, like red, and emerald green also accentuate other features of your body, and especially, your eyes and facial structure. Bold colours can be sexy, too, but it limits the occasions that you can wear a “little number” to.

In short, the simplicity and elegance of a little black dress and its variants in other colours make it a versatile piece that has entrenched its timeless appeal in popular culture.