What To Wear To: Summer Cocktail Parties
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{related: here's all of our advice for summer work events and summer associate events}
It's the summer. Your office is flush with interns, either from law school or MBA school. In order to impress, the company holds numerous summer events, including <dun dun dunnnh> the cocktail party. Maybe at a restaurant, maybe at a partner or executive's house/mansion. The question looms: What SHOULD young professional women wear to summer cocktail parties?
What Summer Associates Should Wear to Summer Cocktail Parties In General
Honestly, the answer here is usually “a suit.” You simply don't want to run the risk of looking like someone's date. Still, there are times when a cocktail dress is appropriate — and when that happens you should strive to be as conservative and as polished as possible.
In general, this means your dress or jumpsuit should not be:
- shiny
- satin (it wrinkles anyway)
- strapless
- low-cut
- mini-skirted
- relying on a safety-pin in any regard
- appropriate for any of the following activities: being a contestant in a pageant, sleeping, or being a dominatrix
That said, here are some suggestions on what to wear to summer cocktail parties:
Professional but Festive Cocktail Dresses for Company Cocktail Parties
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:
Statement Necklaces for Desk to Dinner Dressing
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.
Updated stock photos via Deposit Photos / photographee.eu.
I’ve got a red shift with short sleeves that is actually a more colourful version of my favorite work dress. It’s my default for when I have something work related but don’t have to work. I like it because it is very easy to imagine me dressed appropriately for 9-6, but also cheerful and not drab. With a grey jacket, and the bag and shoes I’d normally wear at work it looks pretty serious, but it can also be worn with a fun shoe and a pretty scarf or sparkly brooch.
For something more formal, I’d get a goody two shoes cocktail dress that would also work for conservative weddings.