Know what to wear for every occasion this season...

Now that April is here, it means it's the start of the events season, and this means you'll be getting invitations to weddings, bridal & baby showers, graduations, and various other parties that come along with the warm weather!  For some of us, receiving a smaller-than-average envelope in the mail signals a time-consuming social obligation.  For others, it means only one thing : What am I going to wear? And what exactly does "creative black tie" mean?  Or "resort formal"?  Well I'm here to give it to you straight!  The last thing you need when showing up to your high school friend's wedding is to feel under or overdressed.  So let's start with the basics and move on to some of the more modern invite attire looks.


White Tie - get your man to the nearest rental shop because only a tux with tails, white vest and bow tie will do.  As for yourself, still have your prom dress hanging around?  Just kidding!  But seriously, you better wear a dress that skims the ground and is one your father would approve of!  White tie specifies "conservative gown" for women.  Consider adding opera-length gloves for a touch of drama!




Black Tie - very dressy, but less so than white tie.  For a man, it means a traditional tux.  For a woman, it means you're allowed slightly more room when it comes to cut and color.  Keep your dress long, but feel free to add in a bit of embellishment and/or color.




Semi-formal/Informal - a guy can break out his favorite dark suit (no seersucker, please!) and you can shorten the length of your dress.  Keep it dressed up, and relatively conservative.




Cocktail - Men, dark suits.  Girls, at this point you should ditch all thoughts of long dresses.  It's okay to show a bit of cleavage or leg (but not both!) and sex it up a little.  Also feel free to wear an upscale jumpsuit or pantsuit as well as dressy separates like a chiffon blouse and pencil skirt.




Dressy Casual - guys can start to ease up on the suits and go with a collared shirt, jacket and pants.  For women, this is open to interpretation.  What you might wear for brunch on Easter Sunday is dressy casual.  But you can also wear what you would for "cocktail" with perhaps a lower heel, less makeup and/or jewelry.




Business Casual - since this is usually stated for company functions and not parties, you should assume it's what you'd wear to the office.  Conservative, but not so stuffy you can't spend the entire day in it.  Same goes for guys.




Casual - do I recommend shorts for your date?  No!  Absolutely remain stylish, but casual means specifically no gowns, no cocktail attire, no suits, no ties.  Jeans and T-shirts, shorter skirts and dresses and a little slouch is okay.  Given the onslaught of the midriff-baring trend, this also fits into "casual".  But please remember ladies that the midriff-baring should be left to the younger set!




Creative Black Tie - It's formal, but you have some wiggle room in terms of letting your personal style shine. Like sequins head-to-toe?  Go for it!  Is your guy fond of wearing a navy suit with a black collared shirt sans tie?  Feel free!




Festive - you'll probably not see much of this during the summer months because it's usually connected with a specific holiday.  But if you see "festive" on a Fourth of July party invite, a touch or red, white and/or blue in your look won't hurt.




Resort Formal - you're likely to see this at a destination wedding or some other shindig going down outside.  It means dress up but skip heavy fabrics and dark colors.  Your velvet cocktail dress is too much.  Instead think floral chiffon and appropriate shoes for the terrain.  For a beach setting that could mean metallic flat sandals and a pretty pedi!





So now you've got all the info you should need for various dress codes, there's no excuse for showing up at that spring or summer event inappropriately dressed!  If you need any more tips please feel free to drop me a line and I'll respond to your requests.  Enjoy your parties this season everyone!