A Girl’s Guide to Dressing Up
It’s hard to believe, but the same thing that consumes me with excitement leaves many people trembling in fear: Dressing for parties. And with holiday parties around the corner, many of you may be confused on what the dress code is for certain social events.
If I made the rules, I would say that every event, from bar hopping to benefits, requires men to wear suits. There is nothing better than a man in a suit and tie, although but some events require tuxedos.
If your event calls for black tie, this means formal attire. Men should wear tuxedos and women can wear cocktail dresses or long evening gowns. Cocktail dresses can be fairly short with spaghetti straps but you want to make sure the dress isn’t too casual or revealing.
Formal usually means the same as black tie. White tie and ultra formal events require men to wear full dress with white tie, vest and shirt. Women would need to wear long formal gowns.
Black tie optional gives you the fashion freedom to wear a tuxedo or a dark suit with a tie. Creative black tie leaves even more room for trendy interpretations of formal wear. Men can wear black shirts with white ties, oversized bow ties or modern tuxedos. I hate to stifle anyone’s creativity, especially when it comes to fashion, but I would avoid wearing shirts with tuxedos imprinted on them, or wearing a Dumb and Dumber inspired blue or orange tuxedo for creative black tie events.
Semi-formal and After Five occasions mean that a tux is not required and women don’t need to wear long dresses. The same is true for evening weddings (held after 6 PM). These call for dark suits and cocktail dresses.
Dressy Casual may lead to some confusion – this dress code calls for dressed-up versions of casual looks. You want to avoid jeans, shorts and t-shirts for dressy casual events. Stick to sport coats and trousers for men, and women can wear fitted pants or skirts.
You always want to choose fabrics according to the season. Wool blends are perfect for fall and winter, but at holiday parties, especially formal events, you can wear satin or silk cocktail dresses. Colors such as gray, crimson, black, dark brown, and dark blue are perfect for evening parties during the winter months.
See? The basic guidelines to formal wear are actually simple. Now that your worries are over, it’s time to get dressed up and have a great time!
Tags: after five, bar hopping to benefits, basic guidelines, black tie, cocktail dresses, dress code, dressy casual, formal, semi-formal, social events