Special occasions -- from drinks with the girls to date night -- call for short (knee-length or shorter) dresses with some specialness to them.


1. Ruffle Jersey Dress

Flattering bright color (everyone can wear blue), a soft-to-the-touch jersey fabric and sweet ruffles add up to an adorable cocktail dress from Calvin Klein that costs less than $100.

2. Silk Cocktail Dress

Nothing feels sexier than swirls of silk around your legs in the evening. This Suzi Chin dress comes in four flattering silk chiffon colors, and features a body-elongating empire waist.

3. Embellished Tank Dress

Keep cocktail dressing young and sexy with a fresh silhouette like this dress from Haute Hippie. The tank silhouette -- complete with satin, racer back styling -- gains a bit of rocker chic with ring embellishment (a nice change from the usual sequins.)

4. Tulip-Skirt Cocktail Dress

The soft, feminine shape of this tulip skirt is so flattering for lower body issues. But the real beauty of this Helene Berman dress is that it looks like a high-end designer, but prices out much lower.

5. Polka Dot Sash Dress

Beat boring formal wear with this fun, feminine polka dot dress that comes in all sizes (6-26W) for less than $50.