What to Wear to a Business Cocktail Party
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Reader C wrote in with an interesting question about what to wear to a business cocktail party, and it has definitely been ages since we talked about business cocktail party attire! (Here's our last discussion what to wear to summer cocktail parties from many, MANY moons ago.) Here's her question:
I am due to start on a graduate programme for a large energy multinational. I have a 3 day induction in London, and I am informed that on two of the evenings there will be dinner and cocktails.
What should I wear? Scared of going over the top, but also don't want to play it safe with jeans and a ‘nice top'.
Interesting! We sort of talked about this years ago when we answered a reader question about what to wear to an interview dinner, but that was a bit different because she was meeting them for dinner, not working all day and then going to dinner.
Similarly, we've discussed the best networking dinner attire, as well as what to wear to a dinner reception and interview — but it's been a while.
{related: all our advice on summer work events!}
New here? Some of our main fashion articles that might be of interest include our Ultimate Guide to Business Casual, Wardrobe Essentials for Work, and The Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels — all constantly updated! If you're just starting out or on a budget, check out our Affordable Office Clothes roundup — and if you're plus-sized, check out our Plus-Size Picks for Work.
The Best Business Cocktail Attire for a Workday
Here's my thing: if you're going straight from the induction activities to dinner, then you should wear basically the same thing you wore all day, unless you're told specifically to wear something else.
Take some time to freshen up your makeup to go from desk to dinner, and perhaps reconsider a portion of your outfit (remove the blazer, switch to different shoes for standing-around purposes, add a cocktail ring so it's an easy conversation starter while holding your drink, etc).
Ultimately I think people will remember your energy and attitude at these things far more than your outfit — so do what you have to do to look awake and alive and feel fresh enough to meet a zillion new people and express excitement for working on their projects.
{related: here are some fancy but easy updos for the office or beyond}
As far as makeup for desk to dinner, I always like to put on Touche Éclat and a highlighter like Haloscope or High Beam while listening to a crazy upbeat, silly song like Rock Me Amadeus — but for you this may look different. I also feel like refreshing my brow and cheek makeup is important! Some of my favorite makeup products for faking a good night's sleep may also be helpful here.
{related: the line between wedding wear and office wear}
As of 2025, our favorite day to night work dresses that are elegant but festive include Adrianna Papell, M.M.LaFleur, Black Halo, Boden, Reiss, and The Fold. On the affordable side, take a look at reader favorites from Amazon like vintage-inspired styles from Grace Karin, Marycrafts, MUXXN, and Miusol. For plus sizes, try Eloquii, Karen Millen, Adrianna Papell, and Boden (up to 22).
Small changes to your work attire can be great for this purpose, like adding a statement necklace:
Recent Favorite Statement Necklaces for Business Cocktail Parties
Stay tuned for a mini-roundup of fun statement necklaces. As of 2024, our usual favorites include Alexis Bittar, Karine Sultan, and Bauble Bar; Nordstrom also has a whole category for them.
What to Wear to a Business Cocktail Party on a Weekend
If the cocktail party is on a weekend (or it's been made explicit that you should dress differently), it can be tricky to know what to wear. These are some of our best tips for subdued but stylish cocktail dresses:
- avoid anything that could be boudoir-inspired — no corsets, slip dresses, lace bustiers, and so forth
- avoid anything too fussy — long dresses that you or others could trip over, a down-to-there neckline that needs constant monitoring
- avoid unexpected skin — if they wouldn't see it at work, don't show it at the cocktail party — this might include a low low back, cutouts on the dress
- try to stay in the same personality vein as your workwear, or at least not too far apart — if you tend to be the minimalist, polished dresser, don't suddenly opt for the poufy floral minidress
Hunting for great cocktail dresses for work functions? As of 2025, some of the best brands to check include Dress the Population, CeCe, Maggy London, Adrianna Papell (especially this one), Eliza J, and Calvin Klein. Some of the reader favorites from Amazon might also work, like vintage-inspired dresses from Grace Karin, Miusol, and MUXXN! Some other recent favorites include these:
{related: the best semi-formal attire for business events}
Readers, what's your advice — what would you wear to a business cocktail party under these circumstances? In general, do you ever think the kinds of things stylists in movies come up with (such as bustiers under blazers or other outlandish ideas) have a place in the real world?
Picture via Stencil.
The nice work appropriate dress you had on all day. Certainly not jeans!
I feel like this is why 50% of my closet is sheath dresses (probably 2/3 of which are black or gray). They do well on 18-hour days like this, which DC is notoriusly full of.
I can’t pull off a DVF wrap dress, but that would be something that holds up all day (if you aren’t like me, with the bust flopping around b/c there is more fabric there than my girls need).
Preach! Agreed. The most versatile outfit. I have mostly 3/4 sleeve sheath dresses, solid colors. I try to do dress+lipstick+cocktail ring or a good necklace for networking receptions.
Now that I bought the MM LaFleur ecru jardigan, I’m going to wear a lot of sleeveless sheath dresses with it for events like this.
PS Was underwhelmed by everything at the MM La Fleur pop-up other than the jardigan I bought.
Can you suggest some of your favorite dresses? I LOVE the idea of 3/4 sleeve sheath dress and I have none!
Yep! I’d wear my black Tahari “Tonya” dress. Contrasting jacket over the top during the day, ditch the jacket at night. Any black or navy sheath dress is great for this.
Seconding everyone who says to wear a sheath dress, with or without a blazer. Caveat though, it should be a work-appropriate sheath dress. My firm had an event with this type of dress code with our summer associates, and one of the female summers decided to change after work into a dress that was much more “cocktail” than “business,” even though I told her in advance not to do that. It did not go over well.
It sounds like you’re wearing student clothes during the day because you mentioned graduate school and also jeans? If that’s the case, you might think about slightly elevating your student wardrobe. For instance, you could wear cropped pants with supergas during the day and trade your sneakers for flats for evening.
Our old favorite, the sheath dress, as so many above have mentioned. Depending on your skin tone and the office, I’d pick either a muted take on a jewel tone (I have a pine sheath that I adore, and it serves as a toned-down emerald) or a chic neutral (blush, soft grey), paired with a neutral jacket during the day (black, grey, beige), and shoes that coordinate or match.
What I will say is it’s a killer to take your work satchel/tote to a cocktail hour, so perhaps plan on a smaller yet professional bag if there is no place to let it be other than your arm throughout the evening. I’ll also second the cocktail ring, but given the possible smaller bag, I’d try for a comfortable wedge that you can tolerate all day without needing to switch shoes.
Also, my favorite spot for sheath dresses is Karen Millen, and I’ve scored less pricey yet fantastic options at Dillard’s (house brand Antonio Melani), and even H&M (one rare occasion).
I would wear the clothes that you wore to work that day whether they be a pants suit or sheath dress. I tend to wear a lot of pants suits. Unless you’ve been told that the dress code for the rest of the day or dinner/happy hour is jeans, I would not wear them.
Also, YMMV on whether or not it is a “killer” to have your work satchel/tote at happy hour/dinner. If you don’t have a chance to go back to where you are staying, no one else will either. They will either be toting theirs or depositing it somewhere in the room/at their seat for dinner. I often have happy hours/dinner meetings on business trips; we all do this; no one thinks twice best that I can tell. Everyone is more interested in getting to know each other.