This Party Season, Try a Cocktail Blazer

A fresh alternative to the dress, perfect for day to night and with a close-to-the-body silhouette, a standalone jacket is both feminine and practical. A refuge for minimalists, it's the ideal backdrop for serious statement earrings.

“For me, an evening blazer is confidence cut into cloth. It’s embellished, chic and gives me permission not to wear a dress, which I welcome without fail.” says British Fashion Council chief executive Laura Weir. She's one of many women favouring dressy blazers that double as tops and add an opulent note to trousers and jeans alike. These tend to be structured, collarless designs with figure-aware cuts, narrow sleeves and luxe fabrications. Maybe an interesting button or some hold-the-jewellery embellishment. And they’re claiming the spotlight in going-out ensembles.

“I love a blazer as a fresh alternative to a dress,” says Lydia Zacharis, buying manager at Net-a-Porter, which reports rising sales of standalone blazers. “We’re seeing people buy this as ‘the piece’ when they might have gone for a statement dress in the past, because they can wear the same jacket with denim, a slim pant or a skirt. It’s a bit nostalgic and so classically elegant.”

Unlike the boxy hip-length jackets and oversized menswear-style blazers of recent seasons, cocktail blazers show to their best advantage when fully buttoned. A close-to-the-body silhouette is the goal. While not obligatory to go bare underneath, a slim vest should suffice — this isn’t the moment for collared shirts. It really is a versatile piece that you can wear day to evening, that doesn’t feel overly formal, with a balance between femininity and minimalism effortlessly put together.

It’s one of those pieces that’s really become the backbone of my wardrobe. Office-to-event ease is a big draw. Dressing for work is less about armour now and more about the ease of a piece that can move from a meeting to dinner, and that tells the story of being in my power without rigidity.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of these at holiday parties. People don’t want to buy something just for a holiday party the way they used to. The fact that you can wear one of these blazers to a party but equally put it on with jeans and wear it out to dinner in a more casual setting, and still feel ‘finished’, makes it a hardworking item.”

Everyone loves a snatched waist right now. Wear it with horseshoe jeans to counterbalance the formality of a fully buttoned jacket. For a sleeker approach, try cigarette trousers or a miniskirt (a slicked-back bun and sheer black tights make the look even more Robert Palmer-esque). If a high-necked black blazer sounds too severe, look for a feature button.

But the best thing about a cocktail blazer? Being warm. I love the practicality of knowing I can arrive in my blazer, stay in it, leave in it