How To Choose A Cocktail Dress

Hi! I'm Claire Watson owner of personal styling business—Miss Dress and today I'm going to be showing you plenty of tips and tricks on style and lots of fashion advice that you could use for both work and play. Wedding, birthday parties, big events, they're all a great excuse for going to town and getting dressed up in a great little cocktail dress. Like so many of my clients, I get plenty of emails and questions asked from me about finding the perfect cocktail dress and here are some golden tips about how to choose and select the right one that is perfect for you.

Firstly it all comes down to the length. Cocktail dresses denote knee length dress. If you're that much younger then you can go a little bit shorter but the most demure length is definitely right on the knee cap or just above the knee cap.

Think realistically about the shape and size of your legs to determine whether it needs to sit on the knee cap or just above. What happens is, if it sits on the knee cap that is quite a natural break in the leg to create a flattering elongated shape on your calf. Next, think about the color.

Whilst black is always great there are plenty of other options out there right now such as charcoal which is a welcomes change to black but also more kind of jewel bright colors such as this one. Think about the neckline as well. It's all too easy to go for just the simple V-neck or the scoop neck top.

One shouldered asymmetrical dresses are very popular at the moment and its looks by the fact that what we are seeing at the catwalks that they've got a lot of staying power as well. A dress invested in this style has definitely going to have longevity in the wardrobe. And just a couple more points, think about the overall silhouette of the dress, so either go for something more floaty if that's what suits your figure or if you want something slightly more structured with a tulip shape.

It's just a little bit more different, sophisticated and elegant than always going for a straight cut dress. And then as a last and final bit of information, always remember cocktail dress you always have to wear a pair of high heels and don't be twee and go for something that's an identical color to the dress. Go for something that just stands out a little bit, so something just a little bit brighter maybe or picking out a color in the dress that you can then jazz up with a pair of shoes.

And that's my guide to finding the perfect pair of dress.