You know you’re a fashion freak if someone says, “you want to have lunch next week?” and instead of thinking about your schedule, you’re thinking of what you could wear.
That’s me. I’m planning what to wear faster then you can say, “Is Thursday good?”
Which is why when I get a fancy invitation to a party, my eyes immediately scan for the “attire” section (and you know, Darling, I get these all the time).
Now days, it seems you need a separate dictionary just to decipher what the attire should be…”Kicked Up Casual”, “Festive Attire”, “Black Tie Optional”… what does it all mean?!
After some extensive googling I believe I’ve found the best explanation for them all, and I’m going to try to fill in any gaps along the way…
Dressy Casual/Business Casual: Dark jeans and heels would be appropriate, or a sun dress that’s not too slinky. Dark pants and a nice top are what most women will probably be wearing. Think clothing that you wouldn’t mind being seen in on your corporate web site. The men are typically in khakis and collared shirts.
Kicked Up Casual: This is a new one. But from what I found it’s basically along the same lines as “Dressy Casual” so that means a nice dress and flats, or the dark jeans/pants and a nice top even with a blazer. I think jeans with heels is the best route because it’s so flattering and you fit in with both the dressy and casual crowd (let’s face it-there’s always a distinction at events no matter what’s on the invitation).
Festive Attire: Usually you’ll see this around the holidays, and even though it really doesn’t tell you what level to dress for, your best bet would be to wear something that sparkles or a nice red top with black pants. Unless of course you’re still holding on to those “scene sweaters” where Santa is coming down the chimney near your boobs and the children are gathered around the tree that ends at your crotch-your choice.
Informal/Semi-Formal: These are one in the same (thanks to the Oxi-Moronic Gem of a Gal who deemed them that way along with “dressy casual”). This means cocktail dress, or very fancy separates. You don’t want to show up in a floor skimming gown, take it down a notch from that with a knee length or cocktail length dress, or add some nice jewelry to a pants/blouse ensemble. Business formal is the same-just really make sure to stray away from the “hooker” look.
Black Tie Optional/Black Tie Invited/Creative Black Tie: Anything with “black tie” means we’re shopping in the formal section. Long dresses/formal short dresses. Really, a dress is your best option. And it’s the perfect excuse to bust out of those pants suits and into something girly.
White Tie: If you’ve got invited to a “white tie” event, chances are you’re the kind of person who doesn’t wonder what it means. You know exactly how to pronounce “endive” and you know as soon as you see “white tie” that you could wear long white gloves and give Cinderella a run for her money if you wanted. Everyone else at that party will be trying to do the same.
Hope this helps!