Whether a lilac damask sheath trimmed in marabou, vintage Dior New Look with a nipped waist, a mini constructed of silver metallic plastic discs à la Paco Rabanne, or a streamlined black wool bouclé number, the cocktail dress is an item of fancy, personal expression, the life of the party--and has been ever since its emergence in the 1920s. With an essay and a gorgeous array of imagery selected by Laird Borrelli-Persson, The Cocktail Dress is the...