DRESS CODE (WESTERN)

This article is intended to describe the different levels of 'dress code' used in 'Western countries'.
As a general rule, a person can wear clothes at the specified level ''or above''; ie. if the invitation specifies black tie, a guest can wear White tie instead. The exceptions are:

★ Most people do not out-dress their host or hostess (if there is one)

★ Many people will consider it impolite or eccentric if a guest is too far above the dress code. "Too far" varies from situation to situation. If in doubt, guests ask their hosts or stick to the dress code.

Contents

Summary

National dress

Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal

Formal

Semi-formal

Informal

Casual

Smart Casual

Business Casual

External Links

Summary

Level	Other names	Men		Women
Court dress
		Morning dress	Evening dress	Women's dress
Formal	Full formal, Full dress, Formal attire	Morning wear	White tie	Ball gown
Semi-formal	Smoking, Le Smoking	Stroller	Black tie	Evening gown
Cocktail Attire	Cocktail Attire means short, elegant dresses for her and dark suits for him. After 5, men should stick to white shirts and ties. For women, their 'Best Little Black Dress' is a common choice. Today, this term is used when semi-formal attire is too stuffy, and something more urban chic is appropriate.
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
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

For Dress code purposes, the following definitions are used:

Term	Definition
Morning	Before 6pm
Evening	After 6pm
Summer	Mid-April - Labor day
Winter	Labor day - Mid-April

National dress

National dress is appropriate on all occasions; see the appropriate section on White tie for details.

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").

Formal

Typical events: Diplomatic receptions/balls, the Opera, Mardi Gras/charity/debutante ball, important fund-raising dinner
Notes: The use of White tie and Morning wear has become fairly rare and more often replaced by Black tie in formal situations.

Semi-formal

Typical events: Weddings, theatre opening nights, debutante balls
Notes: There is variation in style depending on whether it is summer or winter. See Black tie for more details.

Informal

Typical events: Diplomatic meetings, business purposes
Notes: See the International standard business attire article for guidelines on Informal attire. As a general rule, when people say "business wear" they refer to the Informal category. It generally consists of a business suit and tie.

Casual

The term Casual describes a wide variety of clothing, ranging from Smart casual to Active attire.

Smart Casual

Typical events: Business purposes, church events
Notes: Smart Casual usually consists of a blazer or a sports jacket with an optional tie. Suits more often fall into the Informal category. Acceptable in some business situations, but not all.

Business Casual

Typical events: Business purposes, church events,
Notes: Ties are generally not worn with Business casual. In some cases, jeans may even be worn if specified or with a sports jacket. Acceptable in some business situations, but not all.

External Links

★ Cracking the Dress Code

★ Men's Formal wear guide