In the mid-1920’s the cocktail dress was invented by – wonder of wonders – Coco Chanel. In the olden days, the little black dress and the cocktail dress were considered to be equal, but today in the 21st century, this elegant piece of fabric turns out to be much more versatile. The heyday of the classic cocktail dress was definitely in the 50’s, when “cocktail hour” belonged to American middle class like cigarettes and horn-rimmed glasses. In this jolly time of the day, mostly between six and eight o’clock in the evening, sophisticated people would gather, the men coming directly from the office in their suits, the ladies straight from the hairdresser’s in elegant cocktail dresses. A touch of cultured conversation in the room, a Martini Sour in the hand. The well-known TV-series Mad Men brilliantly revives those days and also brings the classic bell-shaped cocktail dress (without sleeves combined with a thin waist belt) back to life. The cocktail dress has never really vanished from the world of fashion, as elegant dresses are always en vogue.
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