oes anyone else find dress codes really terrifying? There always seems to be a big gap between what the hosts think ‘dressy casual’ means and what their guests think ‘dressy casual’ means.
I personally always err on the side of being over dressed rather than under dressed and I think this is a pretty good rule of thumb. Here’s my very rough beginner’s guide to dress codes… I may be met with some disagreement here but these are the rules I follow.
White Tie
Ladies – You need to look as much like a queen at her coronation ball as humanly possible. Aim to not fit inside a car. Think SJP on her first wedding day. Stairs should be hard.
Men – Go to a men’s formal wear store and throw money at the problem… but also wear tails.
Black Tie
Ladies – Wear something long. The modern interpretation of dress codes says it’s okay to wear short dresses as long as they’re fancy but if an invite says ‘black tie’ it really means keep your ankles covered. If it’s modern black tie and you know shorter dresses are appropriate just make sure your frock is dipped in gold or designed by McQueen to make up for the length.
Men – Go to a men’s formal wear store and throw money at the problem… but also wear a tux.
Formal
Ladies – You can get your pins out for this one but dress in luxe fabrics. Think sequins and lace. No cotton summer dresses allowed. If you wore it to the beach last summer, don’t wear it to a formal event.
Men – Go to a men’s formal wear store and throw money at the problem… but also wear a suit.
Dressy Casual
Ladies – No blue jeans.
Men – No blue jeans.
Everyone – Seriously… no blue jeans.
The exception to the rule: If you’re a fashion design student or a model you might be able to pull it off… actually no. Just don’t. No blue jeans. It’s not cool.
Casual
Everyone – ask the host. ‘Casual’ is so bloody ambiguous it always needs clarification.
Note to hosts: Don’t write ‘casual’ on invitations. No one knows what it means.
Wedding Bonus
Ladies – look hot but don’t look hotter than the bride or we’ll cut you.
Men – Iron your shirt, have a shower and don’t wear jeans unless you got approval from the brides actual mouth. Matching socks would be nice but we won’t hold our breath.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Are you a dress code ninja? Or are you a bit fancy free with your party attire?
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
By the way you should totally sign up for the Smaggle newsletter and like Smags on Facebook. I don’t want to pressure you but I heard all the cool kids are doing it. Just saying.