Attire Choices: Tenue de Soirée and '70s Theme Party

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 away from reality type.

Since you don't want to look 'slutty', you could go with the big bells and t-shirt, or the sweet peasant girl look.

However, the dresses that you describe should be fine, especially because this is a semi-formal affair. You might want to pair the dresses with the most well-known shoes for the day: platforms. Aren't you glad that you weren't a young person during those days? LOL

Enjoy your event!

The Polite One

Tenue de Soirée or tuxedo attire for a formal dinner party

What does Tenue de Soirée mean?

Dear Polite One,

What does Tenue de Soirée mean?

Invited to Dinner

Dear Invited to Dinner,

It literally means to dress in evening attire, which means cocktail attire. For some, this means black tie (tuxes and gowns) though.

Most sincerely,

The Polite One

Update

Invited to Dinner asked the host what were his attire expectations. The host expected black tie. He refrained from using "black tie preferred" out of concern that many would not own a tuxedo. Both "black tie preferred" and "Tenue de Soirée" are confusing terms though. It would have been best to have been very dress code specific.

Similar Posts

How to Decode a Dress Code

Casual is More Than One Style

Proper Formal Attire: Benefits, Ballet, and Glove Etiquette

Comments

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Dear Polite One , What is California cocktail attire? Thank you, Confused Dear Confused , There is no such thing. At times, it feels as if hosts just like to make these things up to confuse their guests. I’m sure that’s not the case. Still... Many hosts try to create a “feeling,” or more appropriately, “set the stage” for an event. So, they will incorporate a well-known attire category with a word that describes that elusive stage. This leads to the confusion we both feel since neither of us can actually see inside their minds. So, I suggest going with slightly laid-back cocktail attire, which typically is the suit for men and the little black dress or its equivalent for women. Perhaps skip the tie and accessories that appear expensive. Additionally, it is appropriate to call the host and ask for clarification. Sincerely, The Polite One More by The Polite One How to Decode a Dress Code Proper Formal Attire: Benefits, Ballet, and Glove

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