Dressing For Special Occasions

When attending a special event this season, knowing the dress code helps you choose the right outfit with confidence. The venue and time of day play a significant role in determining this. The dress code can range from black-tie, cocktail attire, business casual, or even themed colors, and sets the tone for the event and appropriate styles. Our guide to dressing for events and parties helps you decide what to wear where for weddings and events.

Cocktail Party

The options for cocktail parties are quite vast. From the classic cocktail dress to silky palazzos and top to a statement suit, cocktail parties give you the freedom to express individual style. What’s important to keep in mind is the time of day, the occasion, and the venue. For daytime, a lighter palette, subdued embellishments and refined textures work well. Evening cocktail parties lend more variety with deeper tones, added sparkle, and statement silhouettes as the norm.

Weddings

Wedding guest dress codes are sometimes mentioned on the invite. It can range from guests wearing all blue, only black, or a mix of colors favored by the happy couple. Other weddings leave it more open for guests to attend in appropriate, but less dictating, attire. Then there are destination weddings where a casual beach ceremony calls for a breezy boho dress and slides. So, gathering all the details ensures you will feel confident about what you wear for a special occasion. Bridging between black-tie and cocktail parties above and what’s noted in the guide below helps nail it. 

Themed Cocktail Parties

Themed events allow you to experiment with your attire while embracing the essence of the occasion. Whether it's a costume party, a celebration based on a particular decade, or a masquerade ball, dressing up as per the theme brings a fun and exciting element. Doing some research in advance and planning your outfit accordingly ensures that you’ll stand out while maintaining the vibe of the event. Certain embellishments, like fringe, can remind us of the 1920s era. Leather cowboy boots are an obvious nod to Western. And if a garment has romantic details- like lace- this easily transitions to a masquerade or a period piece, depending on the garment and selecting the right accessories. Use your imagination to make it your own.

Party Dress Alternatives

Want to look dressy without a dress? Parties and special events these days often tend to have a more lenient view on what is acceptable to wear. Unique outfit ideas that don’t fall within the typical “dress” code are refreshing for a change. You may want to consider alternative styles that have gained recent popularity- a chic jumper, a polished suit with shorts, or even a flowy pant in an elevated fabric can be a sophisticated choice for dinner parties when paired with the right top.