Deciphering the Dress Code

Mindy Scheier (me) is a - (gosh this is harder than I thought)- working mom of 2 fab kids/self proclaimed fashionista/5 ft brunette who feels I should have been a 5' 11" red head/wife of dentist-which I LOVE saying/still waiting to be discovered/having some fun while I can! MindyFinds is a fashion forum for rants and raves, style tips and much more. Targeted toward any and all women with a major focus on working moms (g-d love us!), The MindyFinds blog will serve any and all fashion needs or questions you may have! Let’s play and have fun!

I recently hosted a fundraiser event for my son who has a rare condition called a mitochondrial myopathy- www.umdf.org/olliepalooza (sorry shameless plug!). It was a fab shindig in the city, and I set the dress code as “casual chic”. It astounded me how many phone calls I received inquiring exactly what that meant! Horrified, I realized that the general public needs a “cheat sheet”, so to speak, for dress code speak…so here goes:

Casual Chic-
Basically of all of the “codes” this is by far the most fun. It means that you have complete approval to wear jeans on a Saturday night. Granted, they should be your “evening” jeans (footnote my Jeans for Different Genes article- http://mindyfinds.blogspot.com/2008/07/jeans-for-different-genes_29.html) but certainly jeans are acceptable. But if you want to opt for a chic maxi-dress or cool pinstripe pants, the choice is yours. Bottom Line: anything goes- have fun with it.

Festive Attire:
One step above Casual Chic, but definitely above. It retains the “fun” elements of its previous ancestor but sans the jeans. You can absolutely get funky and creative or stay conservative but do it without wearing denim. Bottom Line: Pants, Skirt, Dress..all good just try and stick with the “festive” part of the theme.

Business Casual:
Unfortunately not a lot of wiggle room here. Just think conservative but casual. However, conservative doesn’t always have to be boring, just appropriate. Try a lovely tuxedo shirt or ruffle neck blouse tucked into a wide leg pant with a skinny belt….always a solid choice. Bottom Line: If you wouldn’t wear it to work, you shouldn’t wear it to a business casual event

Cocktail Attire:
Probably one of most misinterpreted of the codes. In the old days this would have meant the classic little black dress…Done, Done and Done! Cocktail can mean so much more. It could be that perfect white pants suit with the proper heel, it could be a strapless gold lame number that grazes the knee or even a leopard print wrap dress ala Diane Von Furstenberg…it all works. Bottom Line: you can do better than a little black dress, just try!

Black Tie Optional:
This one always makes me giggle a bit because it really speaks to the man in this case…basically saying ya don’t have to be nagged into wearing the tux! Yippee! But for the woman it’s a bit trickier. My advice for this one is to either dress on the same level as your mate i.e.: either one step below formal or whoop it up and get decked out…it is all acceptable. If you are a sexy single- go formal! Bottom Line: It is absolutely your option!

Formal:
My personal favorite..clearly I didn’t get enough time in my Cinderella dress at 6 years old! I know its not everyone’s cup of tea but embrace it. Get your make up done, put on false eyelashes, wear your hair up! The new generation of formal dresses really spans across long, short, voluminous and straight. The fabric of the dress is the most important element and is what makes a dress formal…Bottom Line: Silk, Organza, Sequin, Duchess Satin- it’s the fabric that is the sole of a formal dress.


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