We’ve been talking a lot about hosting a holiday party lately, but what if you’re invited to one as a guest? It can be confusing trying to decipher the stated dress code. “Black tie” is easy: wear a tux. But what about those other categories? Well, last week we brought you a quick visual guide to dressing for an interview, and this week we offer some general guidelines for how to dress for an event at a glance. (We didn’t do “Cocktail” because the expected dress for that designation can vary so widely depending on time of day and level of formality of the event.)
Illustration by Ted Slampyak
Deciphering the invitation: Dressing for the occasion
Black tie optional
– Crisp white dress shirt
– Dark conservative tie
– Solid dark suit or tuxedo
– Dark dressy leather shoes and dark dress socks
Semi-formal
– Crisp dress shirt unobtrusive pattern
– Conservative tie
– Dark suit
– Dark dressy leather shoes and dark dress socks
Business casual
– Tie optional
– White, color or patterned dress shirt
– Sports jacket or blazer (Recommended)
– Khakis or nice trousers
– Lace-up or slip-on leather shoes or boots
Casual
– Sweater, polo or casual button-down shirt.
– Khakis or dark jeans
– Leather or canvas shoes
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