Whether you have one, two or twelve parties on your calendar this holiday season...
Whether you have one, two or twelve perfectly pretty party dresses already hanging in your closet...
Whether your bank account bottom line ends with one, two or twelve zeroes...
If you're like I am and given the choice would follow a semi-formal dress code all day, every day, there's no more intoxicating a journey, no more thrilling a transaction and no more anticipatory a feeling than finding, buying and wearing a figure-enhancing, trend-transcending, timeless cocktail dress.
Below, you'll find a 16-strong selection of elegant, subtly sexy, uniquely-detailed party frocks you'll be able to wear from your mid-20s well into your mid-30s without a hint of Dina Lohan/Leslie Panettiere/Teri Hatcher shame.
Provided, of course, you do what is necessary to maintain that mid-20s figure.
For motivation to step away from the leftover pecan pie and to increase your weekly gym visits by x+1, first click here to see 41 year old Cindy Crawford frolicking on the beach bikini-style this past weekend, then check out 40 year old Kate Walsh doing the same, and finally, scroll down and scour these snaps for your favorite under-$300 belle-of-the-ball party dress.
Enjoy.
Silk crochet-neck dress by AKA New York
Poppy dress by Christopher Deane**
Pleated scoopneck dress by Abaete($199.20 at bluefly.com)
Ruched shimmery goddess dress by Vanessa Bruno Athe
($280 at lagarçonne.com)
Ruffle-neck dress by Mint*($254.10 at basicboutique.com)
Pintuck bubble dress by Dorothy Lee
Volante wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg
Scalloped shift dress by Tracy Reese
Twill collared pouf-sleeved silk dress by Betsey Johnson**
Short twist shoulder dress by Rachel Pally
Taffeta with lace dress by Brunya*
Jeweled neck dress by Ellen Tracy
Ruffle silk halter dress by Geren Ford*
*your Editrix's top picks
25 comments:
I just ordered the Brunya dress last night!
So many on that list I'd like. Probably having a mild cocktail-dress fetish contributed to that...
They are all lovely. The only thing that stands out to me is the lack of color (besides the DvF dress). I was hoping for some deep reds/purples/blues in the lineup --even though I'm sure I'll end up in black anyways, hehe
samantha-
what can I say, I'm an all-black girl, always have been and probably always will be.
I tried to include some color, but trying to find dresses I deemed cute enough while working within the under-$300 price point made my task much more difficult than I expected.
I went for cuts and detailing over bright/dramatic colors.
hope you see something you like!
best,
J
Since when did $300 become a reasonable price for a dress??? I can't see myself EVER shelling out more than $200 for one, and it better be made of gold for that price.
Seriously, how much debt are you girls in if you're spending that much on a piece of clothing you'll wear once or twice a year? Ridiculous!
Would anyone not look like a ruffled circus tent in that Tracy Reese shift? I don't think even K. Moss could make that work (the model certainly isn't.)
I really need more cocktail parties in my life.
EAT for god's sake! EAT! I've been going back through your archives over the Thanksgiving break, and as good as they are (really, they *are*), I couldn't help but notice just how shockingly thin you've gotten in the past year. In your birthday pictures on 3/6, you were at least 10 pounds heavier. Sweetie, I don't know if this is out of vanity or depression or what, but you really need to get back to where you were weight wise.
concerned,
B
she looks FINE, people. Christ, just let her blog, who gives a flip what her weight is.
I love the Brunya dress. If it's still there in my size at the end of the day, I'm totally getting it. N, I live in Cali, so don't worry about us showing up to the same event in the same dress :-)
the birthday picture(s) is in the 3/7 post, not the 3/6 post.
Beware if you're a democrat...
p.s. I love the Tracy Reese dress! So sweet!
The grey Abaete is perfect for straight after work parties. At that price, too! Hot dog!
I don't think a $300 ceiling for a cocktail dress is unreasonable at all. But then again, I also see nothing wrong with a $200 pair of jeans or double that for a pair of great shoes.
A $30 entree, however...
May I add one? This stunning Betsey Johnson is an amazing price- I just picked mine up in Georgetown last night. Imagine it longer and more fitted (the ruffle doesn't stand out quite as much on a figure that isn't straight up and down):
http://www.betseyjohnson.com/Evening_Asymmetrical_Ruffle_Sheath_Dress/pr/pd/c/1/np/1/p/3226.html
Yikes, that asymmetric ruffle looks frightening! I'll take your word that it doesn't stick out as much as it seems to in the photo. Great price, tho.
Truthfully, I hemmed and hawed for days over that Brunya dress because of the price tag. I kept going back and looking at it and looking for other dresses, but the beautiful and unique detailing won me over and I think it's totally worth the money. Those small details make the difference between the dresses Johanna has chosen and a dress from Forever 21.
Enjoy it, Cali Finale. Good thing we won't have a "bitch is wearing my dress" moment.
Personally I find them all ugly. None are even flattering to the figures of these models.
not so much-
Well, thanks for sharing. I find that last one especially off-putting, don't you?
Bah to dressing-up altogether -- far too bourgeois a practice for my taste.
kiss,
J
'not so much' has GOT to be kidding. aside from the Tracy Reese dress and the Brunya (both of which would require a seriously sick figure to pull off), all of these are pretty easily flattering to most figures.
Did you just come here to hate or to see your comment up in lights?
no poohing on our party dress parade!
if only the Tahari Della dress weren't satin, I'd order it in a heartbeat. With my body type I just can't do that fabric. It's a gorgeous dress. Too bad!
Everyone - Bloomie's has 40% off sale prices today, online only. Get thee to the dress section for gems like this:
http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=91916&CategoryID=4327&PageID=3985*1*24*-1*-1*Y*122
The AKA New York is just... wow.
I'm also seriously considering the IRO for my own holiday party/sister's engagement party but it's about $100 above my budget. I need a new job.
i cant help coming back to this post just to fawn over the goods again and again. you know which one is my fave. but i could think of a million places to wear that cute DvF... and that christopher deane! LOVES!
ah, to have disposable income....
I love the DvF because I could go to a party and be fabulous *and* warm! And you could wear it to the office so it wouldn't be a twice-a-year splurge. (At least my office - YMMV.)
I am loving the Abaete dress, but it is only an extra 10% off today so I have to decide quick!
I have here some fabulous party dresses and I can't make my choice!
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