Decipher dress codes this party season

Joanne is a personal stylist based in Sydney with over 20 years experience in the fashion industry. Contact Joanne for more info on  joanne.becker@bigpond.com

With the festive season upon us, and lot’s of parties and weddings ahead of us all over Summer, I thought I should shed some light on the very confusing area of dress codes. This is the often the most stressful part of getting an invitation. Either we spends weeks agonizing over what we should wear, or get it wrong and spend the whole event feeling uncomfortable and unable to enjoy ourselves….

Being confident at a party where there is often lot’s of people we don’t know, can be as simple as feeling relaxed and good about the way we look, particularly when work colleagues and associates are involved. One thing I would definitely say about your outfit, is that you should choose something that you feel represents you. So many people go for something that isn’t their style, and spend the function feeling ill at ease. If you are most happy in muted neutrals with an understated feel, don’t go ahead and buy that outrageous piece just because you want to get noticed… If you are wearing something elegant and beautifully fitted, you will always stand out for the right reasons!

Now let’s get down to those confusing dress codes;

• White tie is generally worn after 6pm and is the most formal of the codes; women should always wear full length evening dress only for these occasions.
• Black tie is generally after 4.30pm and still requires an evening dress for women. On this occasion though a formal dinner dress which is shorter could also be appropriate as long as it is sophisticated in style, fabric and colour.
• Lounge suit is slightly less formal and can be the appropriate dress code for both day and night. Women can wear a smart suit or dress pant with evening top or even a cocktail dress for afternoon or early evening.
• Smart casual means you can once again wear either a dress or pants and can go for less dressy fabrics. It is a good idea to wear dressy shoes, bags and some sparkle in your jewellery if you are trying to translate something that you normally wear for business or more casual outings.
• Cocktail is after five and dresses either just above or below the knee are appropriate. You can go to town as far as accessories for cocktail events and add as much bling and fun as you can muster!

Good luck and have fun! If you really want to wow this party season, hire a personal shopper to come with you when you choose your outfit. You will definitely get it right if they are experienced and save yourself time, money and angst!