cocktail wear, no dresses/skirts

Dear gentlebeings,

Today I received a lovely wedding invitation, to the wedding of two longtime friends. It specifies "cocktail attire". Those who have read my posts before know that I do not wear dresses or skirts, because they make me feel profoundly unhappy in my skin.

I have never had to do cocktail attire in the time since I stopped wearing them, though, and I....have none. Not a lick of it! I have one pair of Calvin Klein dress pants with tuxedo piping, and a gold sequined shell that manages to clash with the dress pants, somehow.

I have, thanks to help from you all, a decent set of dressy date-night type clothes, and I have shoes that I can work with, but I need to step it up on the clothes front here. The date-night stuff is nice but not THAT nice.

Any and all suggestions welcome. I am borderline plus-sized and likely to still be so. It is an early May wedding, so it might be 30 degrees or it might be 80, because that's how my town rolls in early May -- layers where all layers are appropriate may be the way to go?

8 years ago

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

Jumpsuit. I have a black one with a beaded bodice, I've worn it to black tie no problem.

rachylou

The tuxedo pants and a silky shiny blouse with serious drapiness...

Anonymous

Tuxedo all the way. You will look appropriately dressy and can change the top for different looks. You can also layer with jacket and tops. Even adding long underwear as a base layer if the weather calls for it. I have tuxedo outfit that comes in handy for holiday and winter dressy events. You can wear heels or patent oxfords or other dressy flats.

Bijou

I love the idea of a tuxedo too. It is a timeless look, so it should be good for years to come.

Gigi

I was going to suggest a jumpsuit too. They can be extremely dressy, and if you get one with wide legs it can still have a similar drape as a dress, so you would feel like you fit in with those wearing dresses.

bj1111

What rachylou said

Ledonna N.

Great suggestions. I have a wide leg jumpsuit for just such an occasion.

jacquez

Active Member

Hm! both a tuxedo and a jumpsuit are interesting ideas. How does one prevent a tuxedo in this case from reading as "catering staff"? accessories? selection of top for underneath?

Suz

The pants you describe sound perfect as a base. I love the suggestions to wear with a silky blouse or a new tank and topper of some kind. A jumpsuit would be great, too, if you can find one that fits well.

Check out images for "le smoking" to see how to wear a tuxedo without looking like a caterer. It is all in the details and what works for one person/ outfit won't do it for another and you have to go with your own comfort level, of course. But I'm sure you can do that and look suitably festive and glam for your friends while still feeling like yourself.

texstyle

I wouldn't do the tuxedo personally because of the exact reason you mentioned "catering staff" implication. I don't think I could pull off the style unless Angie helped. Do you really want to wear a heavier jacket in May? Maybe it is cooler where you are though. I think you could go with a silky dressy blouse and drapey silky pants. Jumpsuits look nice but I don't like the difficulty involved in using the restroom. And fit can be hard.

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gradfashionista

In place of cocktail dresses, I've worn a wrap or splice shirt, black slim pants, and terrible-for-the-toes-but-look-good shoes--pumps or pointed flats, if you can manage either. I'm not sure about a tux, although I like the idea, because it's often what caterers wear.

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