An example of a woman wearing a cocktail dress.

A cocktail dress or cocktail gown is a shorter-length lady's gown worn at cocktail parties and other semi-formal and black tie occasions. Less elaborate versions may be worn at semi-formal occasions when gentlemen are in dark suits. Prior to the mid 20th. century this type of apparel was known as 'late afternoon'. (When gentlemen are in business suits, ladies also wear dress suits or "good" afternoon skirt and dresses). A longer, full-skirted cocktail dress may accompany black tie (although in the late 1960s and early 1970s short cocktail dresses were acceptable black tie attire). By the 1980's a dress was considered to be cocktail less by where the hem fell, but more by the level of sumptuousness the garment attained. Image File history File links PromDress. ... Image File history File links PromDress. ... A lady is a woman who is the counterpart of a lord; or, the counterpart of a gentleman. ... Wedding - Bridesmaid in long gown A gown or evening gown is a womans evening wear, corresponding to mens formal wear for white tie and black tie events. ... Chehel Sotouns Wall painting, that dates back to the Safavid era, depicts a Chaharshanbe Suri celebration. ... The term gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or gens, and man, cognate with the French word gentilhomme, the Spanish gentilhombre and the Italian gentil uomo or gentiluomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres depicts the Comtesse dHaussonville, wearing a dress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

In the mid-20th Century, some couturiers began describing full-skirted cocktail gowns as "dancing costumes". These are suitable for formal dances but not for balls, or other white tie affairs, where ball gowns must be worn. A couturier is someone who is involved in the haute couture business and aids in the design, manufacturing, or sales of fashionable clothing. ... A ball is a formal dance. ... Formal evening dress is more strictly regulated than other forms of dress, and properly consists of: Black tailcoat with silk (ribbed or satin) facings, sharply cut-away at the front Black trousers with a single stripe of satin or braid in the US or two stripes in Europe White stiff... Ball gowns of the 1860s A Ball gown is the most formal female attire for social occasions. ...

The length of cocktail dresses varies depending on fashion and local custom; it ranges from just above the knee to tea length (about two inches above the ankle) and sometimes ballerina length (almost touching the ankle), although ballerina length dresses usually fall into the evening gown category. An evening gown is a ladys dress worn to a formal affair. ...