Dress code (Western)
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Dress code (Western)
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This article is intended to describe the different levels of dress code used in Western countries.
As a general rule, you can wear clothes at the specified level or above; ie. if the invitation specifies Black tie, you can wear White tie instead. The exceptions are:
- Do not out-dress your host or hostess (if there is one)
- Many people will consider it impolite or eccentric if you are too far above the dress code. "Too far" varies from situation to situation. If in doubt, ask your host or stick to the dress code.
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[edit] Summary
| Level | Other names | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning dress | Evening dress | |||
| Formal | Full formal, Full dress, Formal attire | Morning wear | White tie | Ball gown |
| Semi-formal | Smoking, Le Smoking | Semi-formal morning wear | Black tie | Evening gown |
| Informal | Cocktail or Business attire | Business wear | ||
| Smart casual | Business casual (old-style), Executive Casual, Corporate Casual | Smart casual | ||
| Business casual | Dressy, Resort Casual, Country Club, Casual chic, Semi-casual, Neat casual | Business casual, Semi-casual | ||
| Rugged attire | Sporty (but see also Active attire, below) | See External links: "Cracking the Dress Code", below, for examples of these styles | ||
| Leisure attire | Saturday Casual | |||
| Active attire | ||||
[edit] National dress
National dress is appropriate on all occasions; see the appropriate section on White tie for details.
[edit] Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal
The first three styles listed above are the strict definitions. People often confuse the three; please check with your invitor to ensure that they intend for you to wear the style specified (eg. people often use "Formal" to mean any of the first three, and "Informal" to indicate "Casual").
[edit] Formal
Typical events: Diplomatic receptions/balls, the Opera, Mardi Gras/charity/debutante ball, important fund-raising dinner
[edit] Semi-formal
Typical events: Weddings, theatre opening nights, debutante balls
There is variation in style depending on whether it is summer or winter. See Black tie for more details.
[edit] Informal
Although some attire is described as "business", many offices do not enforce (or expect) the Informal dress code specified above. Many habitually wear clothes from the Smart casual and Business casual categories. As a general rule, though, when people say "business wear", they refer to the Informal category above.
[edit] Casual
The term Casual describes a wide variety of clothing, ranging from Smart casual to Active attire.
[edit] Definitions
For Dress code purposes, the following definitions are used:
| US | UK | Generic |
|---|---|---|
| Day/Morning | Before 6pm | |
| Evening | After 6pm | |
| Mid-April through to Labor day | Summer | |
| Labor day through to mid-April | Winter | |
| Wear | Attire | Clothes (ie. Formal wear = Formal attire) |
