Got Etiquette Advice?

  Dear Polite One, I am planning a party and I want guests to dress in nice clothing that isn't too formal or too casual.  Is there a dress code that is in between semi-formal and formal attire? Party planning Dear Party Planning, Basically, the dress code you want is semi-formal, but cocktail attire would probably be best. These two are basically the same term.   Men would be in sports coats, ties, or suits.  Ladies dress in cocktail dresses made from finer cloth-like crepe, satin, or velvet, or outfits in the equivalent formality.  Sincerely, The Polite One More From The Polite One What is the Etiquette for A Ballet Production in the Sydney Opera House? Attire? What to Wear In Freezing Winter for a Minnesota Opera? What to wear for the company holiday party?

  Dear Polite One, For the first time in as long as I can remember our company has invited the spouses of our field team members to come in for our annual holiday party.  It is listed as cocktail attire. The company is paying for airfare and hotel and wants to make this a special event. I oversee planning 2 days of events for the wives, while their spouses are in meetings including a tea, a dinner with their spouses, a tour of our office, and then a morning of shopping.   I am including an agenda along with their travel itineraries and am stuck on how to list appropriate attire for the tea and dinner (the tour and shopping are casual of course!)   I’d like them to dress nice, but don’t want it to be too fancy.  They should be able to wear the same outfit to both the tea and the dinner if they would like. We are having the tea and a tour at the historic Molly Brown House and dinner are at an Italian restaurant (chain) downtown.  I was consideri...

  Dear Polite One, My husband and I are attending a business function tonight.  The expected attire is "Summer Cocktail Attire".  What exactly does that mean? We live in a casual region, and it is very warm here now.  Are shorts appropriate? Sincerely, Summer Cocktails Dear Summer Cocktails, Unfortunately, shorts are not appropriate for a business event unless this was a pool party.  Cocktail attire means dressy, in the same formality as a warm-weather cocktail dress .   "Summer Cocktail Attire" is not a common or proper dress code.  But we can extrapolate that since it is warmer climate, we would choose attire in the cocktail attire formality, quality material, but lighter weight.  So, choose a dress, like the little black dress (any color is fine) in lightweight material.   Your husband's attire could be country club evening attire.  Jackets are typically worn.   Sincerely, The Polite One More From ...

  Dear Polite One, What is proper attire in church? I was brought up to believe that parishioners should dress up.  That's why nicer clothes are called: Sunday's best.   Today, it seems that people dress in their gardening clothes.  Dressed in Sunday's Best Dear Dressed in Sunday's Best, Your perception of Sunday's best compared to others is most likely completely different. I too believe that church should be a place of some reverence , where one should dress more conservatively.  However, people don't come to church to compare attire choices. The reason should be to worship one's God.  So, it is probably best to forget our increasing casualness and focus on the real reason to be in church.  Sincerely, The Polite One More From The Polite One Appropriate Dinner and Dancing Charity Event Attire? Do I remove the gloves when eating? Is it appropriate to attend a charity event solo? Attire?

  Dear Polite One, My husband and I are attending a Bat Mitzvah at a synagogue hall, in a suburb of Detroit.  Black tie invited is expected.   So is a long, black, crepe skirt with a silver gray, crushed crepe top and black sandals for me and a black suit with suitable shirt, tie, and accessories for my husband appropriate? Bat Mitzvah Attire Dear Bat Mitzvah Attire, Perfect. You might see some tuxedos though.  But a suit is fine as well.   Sincerely, The Polite One More From The Polite One Change of attire between red carpet premiere and gala? What is country club casual for a fund-raising charity event? Visitor’s Advice About Wearing Nylons in DC

  Dear Polite One, I've read about women asking questions about wearing nylons on your site and wanted to offer my observations.  I work in a law firm in DC.  The dress code states that women do not need to wear stockings in the summertime. Most don't wear them any part of the year.  Nylon Free Dear Nylon Free, Thank you for your advice!   Sincerely, The Polite One Keep Reading Formal Look for a Charity Function in Seattle Change of attire between red carpet premiere and gala? What is country club casual for a fund-raising charity event? 

  Dear Polite One, What do I wear to a cocktail party? Thank you, A cool and fantastic ten-year-old Hello Cool and Fantastic, You are too young for a cocktail party!   (Grandmother advice)   Still, if you were to attend one, a nice dress or cool pantsuit would be best. Sincerely, The Polite One More by The Polite One How to Decode a Dress Code What is Party Casual Attire? What is California Cocktail Attire?

Dear Polite One, I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of clothing to wear for a gathering labeled "party casual "?  Would it be dresses for ladies or pants?  And would it be ties and a shirt or a casual shirt like a nice polo and pants for men? Thank you, Jill Dear Jill, Sigh.   There is no such dress code.  Unfortunately, this makes it more difficult for guests.    Deductively thinking, this attire is dressy casual: the attire you would wear to a very nice restaurant. Enjoy your party! Sincerely, The Polite One Jill’s Response Dear Polite One , Thank you so much for your reply.  Both my husband and I thought there was no such thing.   With his job, we attend numerous events a year and never hear of " party casual".  Silly!!  I think they are just messing with us.   And you were correct about the attire choice.   We both dressed as you suggested and fit in nicely. Thank you!   ...

  Me in the ‘70s Decoding the dress code doesn’t get any easy through the years.   In fact, it has become even more difficult as many don’t care to research what norms are already in place.   Here, we have two distinctive questions.   One is mostly about style—time-period specific—and one is a standard, known dress code —nevertheless confusing.   What to wear for a 70’s theme party? My friend and I are invited to a semi-formal '70s style party and are confused about attire choices.  Both of us purchased truly short disco dresses.  Mine is gold with sparkles and hers is black. We want to fit in, but don't want to look slutty. Confused Girls Dear Confused Girls, The '70s were a very confusing time for most of us and there was a variety of expected attire —all very different.  There was the disco attire, down to earth style – earth tones, no makeup, down-with-establishment – and then there was the sweet, trying to get ...