32 Photos of Celebrities in Breathtaking Cocktail Dresses

celebrity cocktail dresses - cher, miley cyrus — (Image credit: Getty Images)

The humble cocktail dress hits all the right notes. It's appropriate for a black-tie event, like a wedding or a premiere, but it also allows the wearer to sit—or dance—when needed. It has a dose of style and intrigue, but it's not typically super-sheer or risqué. And when it comes to this classic style, celebrities are pros.

While the cocktail dresses of yore hit right at the knee, the modern cocktail dress can be a teeny mini, a long gown, or everything in between. What they all have in common: an exciting, glamorous vibe. See some of our favorites modeled by A-listers, below.

Emily Ratajkowski

Red is an awesome color for a cocktail dress, but what's particularly cool about Emily Ratajkowski's is that it folds and drapes beautifully, offering a little visual contrast with some asymmetry. The contrasting sandals tie the look together, since it's a same-ish color to her brunette hair.

Jennifer Lawrence

A black blazer dress is the perfect balance between "professional" and "extremely edgy and cool" (which honestly tracks for Jennifer Lawrence, who's at the Berlin premiere of No Hard Feelings). That mesh layer helps with coverage on top, instead of feeling quite so bare.

Taylor Swift

Silver was the color of Beyoncé's Renaissance tour, so at the Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé London premiere, Taylor Swift understood the assignment. What's cool about this Balmain gown is that the deeply asymmetric hem gives us "party" in the front and "formal event" in the back.

Lucy Hale

Aside from the obvious benefits of choosing a pretty color for your cocktail dress, the tiny details of the look end up mattering a lot: the matching red shoes on Lucy Hale, for example, and the pretty scarf around her neck that's draped in the back. An expert touch!

Sienna Miller

This is a very fun throwback photo of Sienna Miller at the 2006 Met Gala ("AngloMania") in a Burberry minidress. While the cut and belt across the waist is a bit of its time, the '60s London mod reference is a classic—as are the sequins as a design feature.

Hailey Bieber

Hailey Bieber is, as you'll see, the master of the cocktail dress. This is a simple black Versace dress with a great neckline, but (fitting since this is at the Tiffany Co. reopening of their NYC Flagship store) the Tiffany blue color on nails and toenails really adds a lot.

Hunter Schafer

Proof that a cocktail dress doesn't need to be all black! Hunter Schafer, cool girl that she is, takes a dress that might skew a little closer to "workday outfit" and breathes a little "party" into it with the lower neckline, shoulder bag in a striking color, and general vibe.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey, in the '90s, with a simple red dress? The perfect throwback and the perfect cocktail dress attire. The dress would honestly work as-is, but if you want to skip the tassel bag, modernize the look with a black clutch or chunkier black shoes.

Ashley Graham

A little structured mini can be an awesome cocktail dress, especially in a fun color. Here attending Naomi Campbell's birthday party at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Ashley Graham opts for a dress with a cool bubble hem and intricate details—perfect for mingling and dancing.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter, who loves sparkle and shine, attends Paris Fashion Week in 2022 (at the Paco Rabanne Spring Summer 2023 show) in a Paco Rabanne chainmail-inspired dress. It's just a teeny tiny bit see-through, but you can opt for something a bit more opaque.

Dua Lipa

At the European Barbie premiere in London in 2023, Dua Lipa goes full-on thematic in a floral and butterfly-adorned Versace. This just goes to show that, even in a longer, almost maxi-length dress, you can still achieve "cocktail" status with the right vibes.

Florence Pugh

This feathery, '70s-inspired dress on Florence Pugh (attending 2023 Paris Fashion Week) is an awesome example of being daring while still having more coverage. The sleeves are long, the hem is short, but the boots are high. There's only about six inches of skin showing, and yet it feels daring.

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner has enviable access to designers and her own closet, which means that her party-wear is always top notch. This is at the FWRD Pop-Up Grand Opening, and technically this pearl-colored set is a top and matching mini by Rick Owens. For lovers of fitted clothing, this is a must.

Elle Fanning

Elle Fanning can often be found in delicate, ethereal pieces as part of her aesthetic, so it's awesome to see her wearing a "tougher" piece in gunmetal gray, with oversized sequins dotting the bottom. This is the launch of the Rabanne HM collection, and it feels decidedly "event-ready but also appropriate for dancing later."

Jennie

Jennie from BLACKPINK attends the CHANEL Coco Crush pop-up store in South Korea in 2024 in this photo. No surprise, this look is Chanel and is proof that black can be anything but basic, thanks to the semi-sheerness of the material with matching tights and chunky jewelry.

Sarah Jessica Parker

This is a major throwback on Sarah Jessica Parker here; she's at the 1997 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards here and later admitted that the Donna Karan dress is more Carrie's rather than her own style. But listen: Carrie has great style, and this is a sleek, simple dress choice.

Selena Gomez

When Selena Gomez goes bold and playful on the red carpet, it feels so spirited and passionate. She's hosting the Inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit Supporting Youth Mental Health in 2023, and this Rahul Mishra was hand-embroidered and stunning—and perfect for the context.

Lily-Rose Depp

This is way back at the Charles Finch CHANEL Pre-BAFTA Party in 2020 (showing pretty clearly that Lily-Rose Depp's style has been consistent over the years). British Vogue even called her the "ultimate Chanel girl" for this pretty, slightly sheer frock.

Michelle Yeoh

Here at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Michelle Yeoh shows off how cocktail dresses can still bring major drama (in keeping with her maximalist red carpet aesthetic). This is Gucci and features an impressively sculptural top half, but doesn't feel so over-the-top that she can't eat or mingle.

Cher

Way before the fun, flirty modern cocktail dress was a thing, Cher was embodying the aesthetic (this is a Vogue 1967 photoshoot, and Cher's wearing a tulle and lace minidress). But you can see how she was a forerunner of the casual-chic spirit we all know and love today.

Zendaya

Zendaya is usually giving us a gown on the red carpet—which is not a knock, she always looks great—but on the rare occasion when she's opting for something slightly casual, it's also awesome. This black slip dress and oversized leather trench are a perfect pairing.

Alexa Chung

Granted, this might be a tiny bit long to be a cocktail dress, but Alexa Chung (attending a Vogue 100 x Erdem dinner during London Fashion Week) embues it with that spirit thanks to the flat mules and chunky bag in major contrast to this canary-yellow, flouncy gown.

Naomi Campbell

This now-iconic photo of Naomi Campbell in the '90s (she's at La Palace de Beaute in New York City in 1990) is basically the moment the modern cocktail dress hit the mainstream. This fringe-y white dress, with cardigan and clutch in hand, is very "I'm on the way to a party to dance all night."

Anya Taylor-Joy

Anya Taylor-Joy is always experimenting with color, texture, or fit—or all three, in the case of this red leather minidress. Even though she's likely headed to an event, the original caption notes she's "out and about," which makes me laugh, as if Taylor-Joy's casual style is deeply tailored and glamorous.

Jennifer Aniston

Considering how simple Jennifer Aniston's red carpet style has been, for decades, this 2005 appearance at the Loews Lincoln Center is all the more striking. The racerback neckline, the subtle sparkle in the dress, the matching clutch and shoes: it's an A+ iteration of her vibe.

Jenna Ortega

While Jenna Ortega might technically be at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, her vibe is absolutely giving me "fun social event after work." It's Dion Lee and would be perfect as a fringe-y dress, but the gloves are a nice fashion girl uplevel that makes this unexpected.

Cindy Crawford

This layered cocktail dress is a thing of beauty on Cindy Crawford (this is Vogue 1988 and she's wearing a slip dress by Gianni Versace). The fitted wool coat over top complements it beautifully so that the whole look is cohesive—and she can still take off the outer layer when she gets to her destination.

Hailey Bieber

While this gray color might ordinarily skew boring, Hailey Bieber elevates it to perfect cocktail-wear with some sparkle and shine. She's actually leaving a 2023 Rhode launch party in London, and the matching shoes and silver jewelry make this feel like a perfect event outfit.

Olivia Rodrigo

A cocktail dress is cool on its own, sure, but when it gets some personal style choices added on, it becomes iconic. Olivia Rodrigo (at the 2023 Z100 Jingle Ball) in knee-high Dr. Martens with over-the-knee socks and a vintage Versace minidress is the perfect example.

Maya Hawke

Now this is some serious glam. This is the Christian Dior Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 show, and Maya Hawke is wearing a short-sleeved shift dress with tough boots and a polished trench. The other pieces take it from being a simple dress to being a capital-o Outfit.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus, at Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, has added an awesome dose of glam into her style in the past few years. This black mini is—dare we say—a bit more buttoned-up than she sometimes goes, but the contrasting coat and bag feel all Miley.

Erin O'Connor, Natane Adcock, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Donatella Versace, and Amber Valletta

cockrail dress - kate moss naomi campbell donatella versace

May we all aspire to the level of style as this wave of matching silver Versace dresses! This is the "Diamonds Are Forever" fashion show, hosted by De Beers and Versace, in 1999, and the models and designer are all in different, but perfect, cocktail dresses. 10/10! No notes!

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.