Is this suitable for an event with a cocktail dress code ?

[user8695940]

I'm wondering if the length makes it too dressy/formal?

Hah. I swear I've ordered and returned virtually every dress on NAP. I think my neighbours are starting to think I'm having an affair with the driver.

I like that, but I have to wear a bra and the Rebecca Vallance one won't work with one.

When I say I'm a tricky shape, I'm not joking. But happy for other suggestions -

I think the colour and pattern makes it informal enough for a cocktail dress code despite the length. It’s a beautiful dress.

https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/product/rebecca-vallance/clothing/midi-dresses/alexandrite-embellished-cady-midi-dress/46376663163105334

What's the worst that could happen if you did wear that dress? Because I really don't think your cohorts will whisper 'OMG, her dress is LONG!' behind your back!

Thanks, that's lovely, but it won't work on me.

I think you could make a similar point about anything that gets asked about on S&B? How is this materially different from, is this too white for a wedding, or is this appropriate for a christening, etc.?

The pattern is awful.. sorry but it looks like the fabric for a sarong! I agree it would look strange taken up because the top and straps are very suited to a full length gown

Interesting. Your feelings about the fabric aside (which I don't share, sorry), I feel like it would be a pretty classic dress shape if it was shortened.

Sort of like this
https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/product/dolcegabbana/clothing/mini-dresses/leopard-print-ruched-silk-blend-mini-dress/46376663163104511

https://www.johnlewis.com/adrianna-papell-square-neck-floral-jacquard-sheath-dress-marble/p114591493

Thanks to everyone who weighed in!

I'm taking it in to my alterations person tomorrow, so I'll see what he thinks. He's usually pretty spot on, so I'll decide after I see him.

Which profession are you in, OP?

I lean towards a fairly conservative look, but you may be in a profession where you can be more creative in what you wear.

I was invited to a wedding last year where we were asked to wear cocktail dress - I struggled to find a dress that seemed to fit the wide but weirdly narrow criteria to the point where I just declined the fucking invite 😂
I mean it also wasn’t convenient, an evening invite on a Monday night 2.5 hours drive away so when it proved moderately inconvenient to find a dress I thought, nah, not for me!
I think the dress you put in the op is fine.

Blimey. Surely you wouldn't spend that much on a dress then completely change it by his it taken up to2/3rds of its length??

I wouldn't spend that much on it, it looks more like a £40 beach dress to me.

What's the worst? The OP sticks out like a sore thumb who didn't understand the dress code or who did but didn't have anything else to wear. Obviously no one is going to snigger at her but it might be an uncomfortable evening.

She would be relying that there are others who think "cocktail dress" is a daft dress code for "a gala dinner"

I said go for it, as it's such a stupid dress code but looking at it again I wouldn't wear it.

I also think shortening it is a bad idea. The whole point is the way it tapers in around the body and then opens up near the floor to pool on the floor. That would be lost if it's shortened.

https://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/p/saloni-renee-long-floral-silk-spaghetti-strap-dress-prod198740020

That seems a terrific waste of a dress. The feature point is the way it fits tightly for the most part then widens out to pool dramatically on the floor. You'd lose all that and be left with an ordinary shift dress.

It looks a bit cheap to be honest and I was shocked at the price. Some of the other Net a porter dresses looked better or the Adriana Papell one.

This looks like a wedding guest dress to
me - not cocktail at all. Evening gala cocktail
means evening dress (this looks very day) and knee length.

i think you need a new dress.

I don’t think shortening it will work. It’s meant to be long with kick shaping at the bottom. All that will go so it will be just a tight sheath which you might as well have bought in the first place.

Cocktsil does not have to be knee length these days. Plenty of cocktail dresses were midi in the 50s with the Dior New Look. So I’d not take it up much and leave the shape fairly intact.

if you need to wear a bra, how do spaghetti straps work with a bra and the pink Rebecca Vallance one does not work? It means a strapless bra for both doesn’t it?

I've had a second look at the Rebecca Vallance- I initially thought the tulle bits under the arms were cutaways, so that was my concern about a bra. I do like it a lot, but I think I would struggle with it because it has a boned bodice and I'm very short waisted. So I know from too much past experience that I'd have to take the straps up, which would be tricky on that dress, or the boning will come down too low on my waist. They're also sold out in my size.

@TheSquareMile This is a board that's sort of career-adjacent, so I don't need to be overly conservative.

Not loving the cut of the Adrianna Papell

You must go to much fancier daytime events than I do!

Do not shorten it PLEASE! I think you should wear it. Even the royal family frequently bends dress codes so I shouldn't worry too much.

Op knee length is very dated now, don’t get it cut to knee, if amending then go midi , but absolutely you can wear it as is.

Don’t cut it. It would ruin the whole shape of the dress. No it’s not cocktail but for an evening gala dinner that has previously been black tie I think you’ll be fine. Our work Christmas party is cocktail/black tie optional and you get a whole mix of full length gowns and shorter party dresses whilst some chaps wear lounge suits and others dinner jackets.

I think it’ll be absolutely perfect. I went to a cocktail dress code event recently and you would have been spot-on in that. People were wearing a variety of different lengths and styles and no one looked out of place - I genuinely think most dress code ‘rules’ have been firmly left in the past these days.

(I don’t know why but I feel like a high number of Mumsnetters are far more worried about dress code rules than anyone I’ve met in real life!)

Wear the dress, stop worrying, enjoy the event!

Please don't alter it, you will ruin a lovely dress. Personally, I would wear it, because I wear what suits me, and you say you love this dress on. No one is going to care that it is long.

Edited to say: I think what people notice most about what others are wearing is if they look great in it, and if they are brimming with confidence. Not, "is that strictly cocktail length?"