Cocktail Dress

adouglasmhor

fawd1 wrote: »

If anyone is still interested they have that long beaded dress on sale in ebay, £100 quid cheaper, even with postage and they even have the so called "normal" sizes (although the first one had size 12's available, so am confused-is over size ten freakish now?) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADRIANNA-PAPELL-091880660-Buf-Cap-Sleeve-Beaded-Dress-Sz-6-8-10-12-14-16-New-/271289862559?pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&var=570194656521&hash=item3f2a22c99f

If its in Cali there is every chance it will be US sizes so 12 is around an 18 still not "freakish" IMO.

Spendless

The event has been and gone (and I had a wonderful time:j). There were a handful of women in a long dress, most wore an around the knee dress. majority wore a version of the LBD, other colours were a plain blue or a few red. All the dresses were of a straight style. A couple wore strapless dresses (and had the figure to do so).

The 'jacket and tie' wording for the other night made sense when you read the info from the hotel which asked for men to wear a jacket and tie to dine in their restaurant. However the code was changed to 'smart casual' though husband only thought to tell me this after I bought another outfit! This was also on the hotel info that said they also accepted smart clothes which they defined as no beachwear, polo shirts, or collarless shirts. Most men wore a shirt with a collar but without jacket and tie for this and the women dressed smartly.

neverdespairgirl

Spendless wrote: »

What about black tie though, hubby is assuming it means tuxedo, but is he correct?

It's always easier for men (-:

Black tie means evening trousers, dress shirt, bow tie, dinner jacket, cummerbund.

neverdespairgirl

nearlyrich wrote: »

I go to this kind of event several times a year, the jacket and tie night you could wear a pair of black trousers and an evening top, sparkly or jewelled, Black Tie doesn't have to be a bow tie these days or a Tux...if it's a work do get your hubby to check what his colleagues are wearing.

That's exactly and precisely what Black Tie does mean though - dinner suit! Which means dinner jacket, dress shirt, bow tie, etc.

Unless you are dressed in mess uniform or similar.

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Black tie would be a dinner suit or Scottish Highland Dress or some kind of uniform (no idea about this), many men don't own a dinner suit though. No-one at such an event would be crass enough to comment on someone not wearing a dinner suit, surely?

You might well just not be allowed in, depending on where it is held and for whom and by whom.

Black Tie evenings at the Inns of Court, for example, mean exactly that - turn up in a suit, and they won't let you pass the door. White Tie - ditto. If you aren't dressed right, you ain't coming in, even if your name's on the list (-:

Spendless

We went into a men's outfitters to seek advice about what to wear and was told a black suit without the shiny lapels was an acceptable choice. This is what husband chose to buy so he could wear it again. A lot of the men had a similar choice on. Most of the Scottish members wore a kilt. All wore a dickie bow but a few weren't black. We had also been told in the menswear shop that a slightly different tie, black but shorter than a normal tie had also become an acceptable choice. Unknown to me husband contemplated this but I'm glad he didn't go for it as that is what the waiters were wearing, though with waistcoats.

The venue was held at a hotel that the company took over for 2 nights. There was no one checking dress codes despite the notices up for their regular guests about dining in restaurants.

lostinrates

I'm glad you had a good time spendless. . Ultimately, that is the most important thing.

stir_crazy

I also recently had a black tie event, most of the women wore either knee length or full length dresses which to me looked great. There were a few exceptions though, where the women looked good but slightly out of place - a couple of young women wore short dresses which were less "formal" and more suited to a night in town. There were another couple of girls who wore backless dresses and again looked out of place, even though they were full length.

adouglasmhor

My brother at the age of 50 (and unbelievably set in his ways) is about to attend his first ever black tie event. He is coming down today to try on a couple of my dinner suits. My mum was amazed to hear of such a thing as a 4 in hand tie being worn with a DJ - though she is trying to push him toward a wing collar - which in my opinion is best kept for white tie or 80s music videos. I am going to offer him a choice of a white marcella shirt or a black pleated evening shirt.

Saturnalia

I've learnt something from this thread. I always thought that Cocktail dresses were the glitzy numbers - the knee-length or slightly shorter, strappy, maybe a net underskirt and an excuse to break out the sequins.

I thought Black Tie was mid-calf to ankle-length and more formal, and White Tie was floor-length red-carpet-style.

I live and learn!

ETA: I don't go to dress-code events so if I were invited to one I'd ask the sales staff's advice when shopping for it.