For some time now, a cocktail dress has become as indispensable a wardrobe item as boat shoes or a sheath dress. When sewing this type of clothing, certain rules must be followed, such as the correct choice of fabric and style features.
Before deciding on the choice of fabric for a cocktail dress, you need to know its exact definition. It is customary to call a cocktail dress a sophisticated elegant women's dress with a length just above the knees without sleeves and a collar. In general, we can say that the styles of cocktail dresses are perfectly balanced. In such clothes, the rule applies: if the bottom has open areas, then the top will necessarily be closed and vice versa.
A cocktail dress is usually worn for trips to a casino or restaurant, for various special events, as well as for parties that start before 7 pm. Such a dress will be a manifestation of bad taste if you go in it to a children's matinee, on a trip out of town or to a meeting with friends and acquaintances.
Fabric for a cocktail dress: how to choose the right one
Initially, cocktail dresses were made of expensive and beautiful-looking fabrics - velvet, satin and silk. If earlier velvet dresses looked a bit heavy, now, with the advent of synthetic fibers, it has become possible to make light and thin velvet with a pleasantly iridescent surface - what is not an ideal material for formal wear?
Dresses made of silk and satin (natural and synthetic) look amazing. If you make yourself a cocktail dress made of natural silk, then you can forget about the unpleasant sensations of the "hot" fabric while dancing. Satin also looks beautiful, especially on tight sheath dresses, but in the warm season it can be worn out in it. The use of chiffon for cocktail dresses has recently become - clothes made of such material give a woman lightness and incomparable femininity.
Taking into account the peculiarities of different types of fabric when sewing a cocktail dress
If you decide to sew a cocktail dress yourself, but have never come across the above fabrics, you will have to take into account some of their features. The drapery will look beautiful only on dresses made of satin and silk - the same element of a velvet dress will make the clothes heavier.
In the presence of the shine of the material for the dress, you will have to limit the use of decorative elements - lace, rhinestones, frills, etc. Otherwise, the outfit will look too catchy and vulgar. For example, you should not overload velvet or satin cocktail dresses with decor, since these materials look quite self-sufficient.
A chiffon dress should also not have a lot of embellishments.
Caring for velvet, silk and chiffon cocktail dresses
If you have chosen natural silk or velvet, then you will need to carefully wear such a dress, as well as pay due attention to care. It is better to wash silk dresses by hand in warm water with the addition of vinegar - the latter will remove any stains from such material. The velvet cocktail dress should also be hand washed, under no circumstances wringing or rubbing. Dry cleaning would be an ideal option for such a cocktail dress, since even with the most gentle wash, creases and disturbances in the direction of the pile may appear on the velvet.
You need to take care of a chiffon cocktail in about the same way as for a velvet or silk one.
