So below we’ve defined what we think are the best options for a modern wardrobe.įrom the suit and separates to the shirt, top, shoes and accessories, apply this knowledge with verve and panache and your cocktail attire will be top shelf. Creativity is one thing, flagrant rule-bending is quite another. The key elements of cocktail attireĪs loosely interpreted the tenets of cocktail attire are, like any dress code there are certain boundaries one would be wise to play within. Think evening wedding receptions, special birthday parties, awards ceremonies, galas, Christmas events, networking evenings and yes, whenever the hell you want to get dressed up and feel good about it. And yet, while the cocktail party might not be such a ‘thing’ today, many events and occasions demand cocktail attire by proxy. Given none of us move in the social circles of the 1920s middle class, suffice to say that our collective mantelpieces are not bowing under the weight of cocktail party invitations. The question you need to ask, essentially, is: does it look like I’ve made a special effort? If the answer in yes, then it’s cocktail time. You see where we’re going with this? Cocktail attire is ‘special’ and open to creative interpretation within the remit of ‘smart’. Ditto a burgundy linen double-breasted suit with contrast shirt and flamboyant tie. In short, it’s an eyeballed measure of tailoring (but never a business suit), a single shot of casual sophistication (we’re looking at you fine gauge turtleneck), shaken with equal parts fun and extravagance, and finally garnished with a slice of glamour.Ĭocktail attire is more commonly based around tailored separates, but suits are absolutely applicable so long as they are non-business related – rocking up in your 9-5 charcoal suit and black Oxfords and simply leaving your tie in your pocket does NOT constitute cocktail attire.Ī minimalist black suit and black silk polo is something different altogether, though. It’s as slippery as an eel at a jelly party is what it is. Let’s get into the rudiments of cocktail attire so that next time you receive an invitation for such an evening event, you rejoice rather than recoil.

In fact, creative license within a relatively narrow remit is the best possible scenario – you get a broad sartorial canvas with a limited but not limiting array of paints with which to daub on.

Glad that’s clear.ĭefining cocktail attire in a single sentence is like asking a room full of five-year-olds to draw a dog: sure, you’ll get plenty of floppy ears, but everything else is a matter of interpretation.ĭon’t let that perturb you though. Then there’s the dress code, which describes everything and nothing in two neat little words. What’s not to like? Well, the hangover for one, as anyone who has excitedly sunk top-shelf spirits in record time can testify. ‘Cocktail attire’: two of our favourite words, commingling the worlds of simultaneously looking good and getting rapidly drunk while revelling in the conceit of sophisticated socialising.

Mens cocktail attire