The little black dress is passé, the cocktail suit is a bore, and don't even think about getting cute with a reindeer sweater.

Actually, these tuxedos are just the most obvious examples of a popular way of dressing for evening this season: the dinner or cocktail suit.

She was straddling him, in what was left of the three-piece cocktail suit he'd chosen for her to wear to the governor's mansion.

For a sitdown dinner, a woman might wear a cocktail suit or a dinner suit.

Mira wandered through, admiring, then settled onto a soft leather chair, smoothing the skirt of her rose-pink cocktail suit.

Typically, Nuala was dressed tonight in a pale blue satin cocktail suit and matching high heels.

Eve brushed her hand over the flounced hem of the cocktail suit.

Not surprisingly they are seeing more demand for less-embellished cocktail suits and simple evening separates.

"Believe me, I know all about cocktail suits," she said with a laugh.

"Now this is a cocktail suit," she said.