What Is Cocktail Attire for Women and How to Dress It Right

Invitations arrive with cryptic demands, often landing in the inbox like a ticking social bomb. The most common request, and somehow the most baffling, is the cocktail dress code. One opens a heavy cream envelope or a digital invite and immediately hits the panic button: what is cocktail attire for women? The standard sits in that awkward, sweaty middle ground between the stiff formality of a black-tie gala and the “I just rolled out of bed” vibe of a Sunday brunch. The goal is to look polished...