Jenny Packham’s New Cocktail Collection Solves All Spring Dress Codes

As a history enthusiast, Jenny Packham’s seasonal deep dives always shine a spotlight on fabulous figures from bygone eras, and this spring she has landed upon a group as synonymous with glamour as the designer herself. Her cocktail collection – a tight edit of twinkling, versatile occasionwear – nods to Truman Capote’s ‘Swans’, the group of stylish, affluent female socialites whose social lives in 1960s New York were as iconic as their outfits. From Slim Aarons’ muse CZ Guest, who had an air of Grace Kelly about her, to Lee Radziwill, the meticulously put-together younger sister of Jackie Kennedy, the essence of Manhattan’s ’60s glitterati is sewn into the seams of Packham’s latest work, which, as always, feels timeless yet resolutely right for now. (Watch Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs the Swans, which unpicks the drama between the acerbic writer and his high-society doyennes, this spring on Disney+).

Each color-block dress has its own commanding presence, thanks to the sculptural silhouettes and minimal yet impactful embellishment, but looks harmonious in the sugary pink, clean white, inky black, sky-blue and midnight-blue lineup. It would be difficult to pick just one to wear to the modern-day equivalent of Capote’s famous black-and-white ball or, in fact, to any of the occasions Packham’s cosmopolitan clients frequent.

Like the wardrobes of the Swans, who treated New York as their playground, there’s a particular onus on day-to-night wearability within the new cocktail line. These are pieces that are too pretty to change out of when the golden hour turns into dinner, and dinner turns into dancing. There is no need to change when the sun goes down, as the separates, realized in classic, comfortable crepe, deliver polish all night long.

Jenny Packham is an expert at dreaming up couture-like dresses that feel simultaneously architectural and streamlined, decadent and refined. The brand both singles the wearer out from the crowd with its painstaking detail, whilst always nailing the dress code – meaning that to wear Jenny Packham is to know that you’ve invested in something special. This eveningwear collection is a quietly luxurious place to start, as well as being another excuse to buy into the brand’s elevated vision for cocktail hour, with styles that look just as good now as they did back in the spirited ’60s.