According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Christian Dior was the first to name the early evening frock a cocktail dress in the late 1940s, and in doing so allowed magazines, department stores, and rival Parisian and American designers to promote fashion with cocktail-specific terminology. Diors New Look collection, which included dresses and blazer sets with cinched waistlines and voluminous skirts, defined a generation of style more versatile than ever before
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By the late 1930s, the dinner jacket had become firmly established as preferred formal wear in royal circles
Lisakai Button-Front Floral Slip Dress, $25, Pac Sun 18
They fit more into the playwear or summer sporty looks rather than dress wear, but the cross-over was noticeable