"Summer Cocktail" Dress Code, Deciphered!

Dress codes at parties are the worst. "Black tie," "dressy casual," "festive"...these terms are totally useless, since when you receive an invitation with one of these meaningless instructions, you still have to surreptitiously call the host/other guests to ask, what does it mean? I bring this up because of a story Erin told me last night. Erin plans and also attends very swanky events, and therefore has a whole wardrobe of ensembles to fit every dress code in the book. She recently was part of a party whose dress code was "summer cocktail." That doesn't seem too cryptic--surely something short, dressy, and a bit fun or colorful would be in order. So she picked out a royal blue shift dress with a golden paisley pattern: perfect, right? She was shocked when she arrived at the soiree only to find every other woman wearing black. BLACK. If this were Boston or D.C., I wouldn't be surprised, but this is Los Angeles, home of Trina Turk, Juicy Couture, and Paris Hilton. BLACK?! LAME, ladies, LAME.

So, in the highly educated and expert opinions of me and Erin, these women made grave errors in dressing. But what IS "summer cocktail?" Since summertime is basically here, I decided to spend an hour of my precious time putting together examples of true summer cocktail attire for y'all.

Option 1: The obvious pick for a summery frock is something floral. In order to keep it from being too Laura-Ashley-old-lady-ish, choose exaggerated accessories and charcoal tights (tights also help a floral dress look more "night"). This BCBG dress is pretty and flowery, but still dressy because it's strapless, and cool with its empire belt. You could match your shoes to the colors of the dress, or be super edgy-cocktail with, say, these Gucci corset-heel patent sandals. GOD I want this.

Option 2: for black-dress addicts. OK, I don't love florals either (see: proof and more proof), and I'd much rather look sharp than cute. If you live in New York, are a tortured artist or just hate happy bunnies and daisies, you can choose to go mod. Pick a dress that's only partially black, and uses a creative pattern rather than wintery solids. Add a bag with a hint of color (come on, it's dark, you can handle it--and purple is so hot right now) to acknowledge that you know it's not January, and choose shoes that complement the pale, rather than the dark shade in your dress. If your dress is all colorblocky like this one on the left, go with rounder shoes so you don't look like a full-on Picasso; if your dress is a bit more floral, pick badass shoes like the buckled sandals below. Oh, and bare legs are essential for this one; it's not black tie, after all.

Option 3: it's kind of a crime to ignore the potential for using fabulous summer colors that might be too much otherwise. Go for sherbety tones, which are more tasteful than pure Crayola colors, and pick a dress with some drape to it (summer is all about, like, flow). To keep the outfit from looking too afternoon-at-the-beach, ground it with darker bottoms: summer patterned stockings and substantial sandals. If you're going to a more conservative event, stick with solid-color close-toe sandals (these left-hand ones aren't flashy, but still, the t-strap and double closure are GORGEOUS); if your crowd is more fashion-conscious, insane black-&-gold Prada sculpture shoes might be in order.

This collection of options is failsafe, I promise. When you go to a summer cocktail party wearing any of the above, and are consequently swarmed with people admiring your flawless interpretation of the dress code, don't thank me--just send me an invite next time.