Dear mumsnet,
I'm going to an evening summer party (40th, big evening do with a band) and the dress code is "cocktail dresses", which makes me think of my aunt on a cruise in the 80s eating a maraschino cherry from a martini glass.
I think they mean "evening gown but not floor length, probably colourful". It's quite posh, and indoors and evening, so not your average summer party where you would expect to be outdoors and wearing something floral, realistically covered up with a jacket.
Budget: about £300, ideally (much) less, would go upwards for the perfect dress.
Because it's indoors I don't need to worry about warmth, can be skimpy in theory but I'm not sure how good that would look. I want something fun to dance in that feels elegant but not too high fashion.
I am early thirties, size 10, need to wear a bra but it could be a light one. Definitely a bra though.
Hourglass but waist isn't what it was. Even though I'm slim it's not a "looks good in anything" situation, I like clever structuring and draping and good fabrics and proper underwear. I don't want anything that's like a slip dress or a nightie.
Short-ish legs, long torso.
Necklines that suit me:
boat neck
cowl neck
v neck if the straps are wide
strapless with strapless bra works well
sometimes spaghetti straps but it's hit and miss, and I don't want to look too Gen Z trying to do the nineties.
Colours that suit me (dark blonde, blue eyes):
oranges, pinks, reds
navy
yellow
probably others if I tried them, I'm a bit set in my colour ways.
Thank you for your help and I'll answer any questions quickly.