Understanding Party Dress Codes

When you’re going over to a friend’s place for a house party, you already know what you’re going to wear. There’s no need to worry about dress codes or being fancy or anything like that. Sometimes, you can even show up in your regular house clothes because you’re cool with the hosts like that.

However, there are those occassions where we get invited to parties or events that we need to get dressed up for. When you glance down at the bottom of the invitation, you might see something along the lines of ‘Dress Code: Black Tie’. If you’ve ever been in a situation where you found yourself wondering what they mean by ‘black tie’, then this article is for you.

A Simple Guide to Dress Codes

1. Casual/Holiday Casual: This means you can pretty much just dress like you’re going to the supermarket or out for some ice cream with the family. Think shorts, jeans, tee-shirts, tank tops, flip-flops, sandals, etc. However, if the person who invited you likes to get dressed up on a regular basis, you migt want to ask directly what his/her definition of casual is.

2. Semi-Casual/Business Casual: Despite having the word attached to it, this look isn’t very casual. For starters, you can’t wear jeans, or shorts. Dress like you would if you were going to an office for a meeting or to see a client. Men can wear sports coats, blazers and khakis. Women can wear button-front dress shirts, sweaters, or sweater vests with dress pants.

3. Business: Of course, when you see ‘Business’ as a dress code on an invitation, your mind shifts to the clothes you wear to work everyday. However, this dress code calls for an outfit a bitmore formal than what you wear to the office regularly. The intent is for you to dress like you are going to an interview for a million dollar job.Men should appear in a suit and tie, of course, and women should wear business dresses, skirt suits, or pant suits.

4. Semi-formal/Cocktail: For a cocktail or semi-formal setting, men are to wear dark suits and white shirts. If you’re going to wear a tie, it should be silk and not a novelty tie with distrating motifs. Women have more play in this category as they can wear their little black dress or an outfit with a silky or satin feel/texture. Of course, heels are a must, and you can accessorise boldly.

5. Formal/Black Tie: Think, red carpet glam. Tuxedos and long, flowy dresses are definitely allowed. Remember not to overdo it though. Subtle glam usually comes off looking better in such situatios.

6. White Tie: Chances of you ever getting an invitation with this dress code are quite slim, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know what it is. Thes kinds of parties usually require the men to wear white bow ties and dinner jackets. The women are to wear long dresses with white gloves.

Understanding dress codes gives us a better sense of what to wear in a given situation. You may not think it’s important, but you will most likely have a better experience when you dress to suit the occassion, than if you were to just wear whatever you feel like.