Even if you aim to dress up a pair of denim (and are successful at it), risking party dresses for birthday being underdressed is never worth it. However, no one said you had to wear a dress to be dressymdash;polished trousers are just as effective. If you’re invited to an event where the dress code says “cocktail attire” you can’t go wrong with a dress with finishes either just above, or on the knees, worn with heels. A general rule of thumb for a cocktail dress is that it cannot be skimpy, transparent, too short or too long. Basically, the stuff that falls in between the formal and casual spectrum. Anything from a classic little black dress (LBD) to an A-line, strapless, embellished, lace or long sleeves midi dresses are your safe bets. We will discuss more on this in a bit.