50 Dream Party Dresses
Daydreaming about keeping all that holiday gift money for yourself and buying one really amazing cocktail dress to wear to all those holiday parties instead? Yeah, me too. It happens. I'd never actually do that, but if I did suddenly decide to throw all my caution and cash (and maybe my rent money) towards a festive new dress, I'd buy one from the slideshow below. They're awesome, expensive and often awesomely-expensive-looking. You'll love them. (Or at least one. I promise.)
The best little black dresses are classic, but have a standout, head-turning detail–like this lacy hem.
It's a bit of a cross between Downton Abbey and disco, and it is totally amazing.
This is what I'd wear to host Kate Middleton for tea and backgammon.
Just as festive as a spaghetti-strap, mini-skirt sequin cocktail dress, but a lot more sleek.
I love a high-slit gown like this; it's so much sexier than a postage-stamp-skirt-sized minidress.
Channels Gwyneth's pink Oscars gown, but in a subtle way.
You'd still wear it in 20 years, too. (Really.)
The ideal winter white party dress.
I really feel like Mary Katrantzou's digital-printed dresses are going to be collector's items one day.
Swingy and roomy and perfect for overindulging at fancy holiday dinner parties.
The ideal dancing-at-a-wedding dress.
I don't know for sure, but I'd bet wearing one of Peter Pilotto's dresses subconsciously makes you have more fun.
This is the best little black dress on the face of the planet.
It looks like a museum piece, in a really good way.
Pretend you're Carine Roitfeld wearing a custom Tom Ford.
Cheat your way to an hourglass figure just by sliding this over your head. (That's invaluable, right?)
What I'd wear to go shopping in Paris with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
Whenever people compliment you, you have to say "what, this old thing?" and bat your eyes with false casualness. Of course.
You'd need a Gatsby-level fortune to buy it, but it's so, so good.
Powdery, slightly pink color + retro tea-dress cut = the sweetest '40s-inspired dress ever.
What I'd wear for to a way-too-trendy Art Basel party in Miami.
I love its late '90s minimalist vibe. And that hem!
Metallic cap-toe shoes would look so good with it.
When you wear an Alaia dress your body magically looks 3,925 times better, so it's definitely worth it in that sense.
Sometimes a gorgeous statement necklace just needs the right backdrop to display it.
If I were super-famous I would have Jil Sander make me this dress in every color possible.
Leather cocktail dresses always look luxe, but they feel so much fresher in bright colors like this.
Thanks to Gwyneth, cape-like dresses are a thing now, and obviously Alexander McQueen's version is great.
What I would've worn to Kate Moss's wedding.
The ultimate in power-dressing.
With an appliquéd dress this gorgeous, you don't even need to bother with jewelry.
If Judy Jetson grew up and had to impress her ex-boyfriend at a party, this is what she'd wear.
Stand out without being scantily-clad.
There's a reason why so many different celebrities have worn this gown on the red carpet. It's incredible.
The sort of easy, gorgeous dress I'd reach for over and over.
That chartreuse belt is a small detail, but it makes it so much cooler.
But when you calculate how many times you could wear it, it's really more of a sensible purchase than anything else, right?
Works just as well with black tights as it does without them, which is great (not all dresses do).
That ladylike skirt balances the plunging neckline in a sneaky now-you-can-wear-it-in-front-of-your-in-laws way.
Lacy and flirty, but with a sweet, covered-up silhouette.
I really want one of the Obama daughters to wear this to some political function.
The perfect hosting-holiday-cocktails dress.
Paired with some chunky heels and a low chignon, this would be such a Kate Bosworth look. Maybe that's why I want it.
The requisite super-fancy negligee dress.
Leave it to Carven to make a cutout look totally highbrow.
What I'd wear for my engagement party. (If I had $6,000 to burn, and were engaged.)
Taylor Swift would pair it with Keds and a long strap bag.
The print's awesome, of course, but the fluted, drapey hem might be the best part.
For all your Mad Men costume parties.
Those gorgeous embellishments should ensure that all eyes really are on you, like the name says.
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