WRAP FRONT COCKTAIL DRESS FOR WOMEN

Slip into this wrap front cocktail dress and feel it settle close to the body, the faux wrap meeting at a gathered waist that shapes the silhouette without pulling tight. The V-neck opens the top half, short sleeves keep the arms covered but unfussy, and the asymmetric hem sways just below the knee as you walk into the room.

The gathered side seam pulls everything toward the waist, giving this bodycon fit a shaped curve that still sits well against the body. That deep V-neck front leaves room for a pendant necklace to do its work, and the short sleeves mean a blazer or cardigan layers over the top the moment the evening cools down.

This is one of those cocktail dresses that moves easily from a dinner reservation to a wedding guest seat to a party invite without missing a beat. Among wrap dress styles it's an easy one to reach for from late spring straight through autumn - heels and a clutch for the evening version, flats for the daytime one. It reads equally well among summer cocktail dresses for a warm-weather event or formal cocktail dresses for something dressier on the calendar.

A dress that answers for more than one occasion earns its spot on the rail season after season. This is the kind of reliable, go-to piece anyone building out their women's cocktail dresses collection will reach for first.

Machine wash cold, hang dry.

• Faux wrap front with V-neck
• Gathered waist for a bodycon fit
• Short sleeves, simple to layer under a blazer