There’s a reason why everyone else is wearing it. Either way, it’s never chic.) Can I wear black?Ībsolutely. You may step on a rogue shard of glass-or another guest may step on your pedicure. (On that note, never, ever take your shoes off on the dance floor. Or, if you simply must wear your new crystal-strewn Saint Laurent metallic sandals, find a willing squire to ferry you across danger areas. Gravel, paving, lawn, parquet floor? Assess the routes you might need to take over the course of the evening and prepare to park the stilettos. If the worst happens, create an Instagram Story immediately, then keep well away from your doppelgänger. Above all, you don’t want to turn up wearing the same dress as someone else. (This is no longer a faux pas it simply shows you know your style). This will provide you with both legions of people to quiz about their personal interpretation of the dress code, as well as handy intel if you’re considering repeat-wearing an old favorite. How can I avoid making a wardrobe faux pas? The medium of text message should also be respected: it’s a method that suggests, “I’m so laid-back with my invitations”, but means “rhinestones are encouraged”. The exception is Paperless Post-just because the invite dropped in via email doesn’t mean it’s not a floor-length affair. If the summons came in digitally, via Facebook or WhatsApp, you can relax a little. The thicker the woven stock of your pigeon post (and the more fanciful the calligraphy and the first-class stamp), the smarter the event. How can I predict how smart an event will be? A cocktail dress-shorter, possibly ritzier-might cut it if your host is of a relaxed nature (or if the dress is, say, a dramatic Alexander McQueen style), but it’s best to assume that a floor-sweeping number (or a tuxedo situation – yes women can wear a trousers suit to a black tie event) is expected. Simply put, “black tie” for women best translates as “long”, and in an evening-appropriate fabric, such as velvet, chiffon, silk or lace. What’s the best way to navigate black-tie dress code? In the first instance, don’t be afraid to text your host for clarification on what level of formality they are expecting their guests to respect, as well as intel on what they themselves are planning to wear. Which may well be impressive – but entirely wrong for a charity gala. One man’s “dress to impress” is another man’s “barely-there Balmain minidress”. “Less formal than white tie… worn for dinners, parties and balls, as well as some Season events such as Glyndebourne,” adds Debrett’s. “A black bow tie worn with a dinner jacket,” the dictionary helpfully posits. But how to arrive – and in what look? Here’s Vogue’s guide to decoding the black-tie dress code on your party invites this season: What does black-tie dress code actually mean? There’s no drink that kills except the drink that you didn’t want to take, as the saying goes, and there’s no hour that kills except the hour you stayed after you wanted to go home.” While her aphorism that “unshined shoes are the end of civilization” still holds, her advice on black-tie dress code events is less constructive: “The best time to leave a party is when the party’s just beginning. Fresh hell: the unhelpful cipher that simply serves to confuse-“evening”, “business casual”, “hipster formal”, “a touch of glamour” stated in tiny italics-and gives no hint as to what is de rigueur.Įven Diana Vreeland, that legendary arbiter of taste, is no help here. In a world where attire is becoming increasingly casual across the board, dress code dilemmas are ten-a-penny. As for “black sheep”? It’s easy to feel like one, if you manage to confound a collective decision to dress in a highly unambiguous manner for a terrifyingly specific occasion. It rivals “black hole” with its power to confuse and befuddle. “Black-tie dress code” is up there with “black ice” in the terror stakes.
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