Save for the “doctor is ready now”, do any four words inspire more trepidation—and less excitement—than “cocktail attire for men”? (We’re exaggerating, but only a little.) ...

then the cocktail attire for men, is to also wear a jacket. Typically any form of dress shoes are considered cocktail attire appropriate. For women that’s often heels, leather flats or even a ...

Between holiday parties and wedding season, most of the invitations in your inbox will probably ask for “cocktail attire”—which is really just a fancy way of saying formal, but not too formal.

It’s not as formal as the black tie dress code, obviously, which usually implies the event will be a ball or in an extravagant venue and suitably serious. In contrast, cocktail parties are meant to be ...

If you’re lucky, said invite will also include a note about the event’s dress code. But even then, there’s plenty of room for perplexion. What does ‘cocktail’ dressing truly entail?