Office Party, dress code

cinnabar · Nov 22, 2005

We''re going to my husband''s office Christmas party. The dress code is "semi formal, holiday attire". We went to the same party last year, and I had no idea what that meant so I asked around. The organizers said that it meant short (ie not long) dresses, but I wore long anyway and it turned out to be the right decision: almost every other woman also had on a ballgown. The men were much more varied, and took the "holiday attire" bit more seriously, so quite a few came dressed like Bing Crosby in White Christmas, while some wore tuxes and the majority wore a dark lounge suit.

What does everyone here understand by "semi formal"? Does it cover pretty much anything, or does it mean "anything less formal than a ballgown, ballgowns strictly prohibited"?

I''m guessing that the organizers of this party don''t want to impose tuxes on the men, who are the majority of employees, which is why it isn''t full formal. I''m just glad I didn''t take the short dress advice, or I''d have felt much too informal last year.

Mara · Nov 22, 2005

Just make sure to show some boob.

Mara · Nov 22, 2005

HAHA of course I was just kidding, I could not resist. It just made me think of that one S.O. or wife that always shows up at a party with their chests falling out of their outfit!! Obviously not part of the intended dress code.

For me, semi-formal is a short dress or even a dressy pants outift, like long straight dress pants or similar in a black (aka tuxedo pants would be cute with strappy black heels) and a formalish black or red sparkly top or similar. Hair up. Something classy but fun. I prefer pants and tops over a dress most of the time but sometimes you find that one great dress!!

Kaleigh · Nov 22, 2005

Mara, you're so bad.

I wore flowey (SP) black palazzo pants and a sleeveless black sweater to a cocktail party this past weekend and was dressed just right. I would wear them again to hubbies holiday party. They were comfy and not too over the top. We don't wear long dresses except to a ball around these parts.

Blue824 · Nov 22, 2005

Sounds like the event is more of a formal, rather than a semi-formal. At the semi-formals I''ve been to, its much more cocktail attire...shorter cocktail dresses or a dressy skirt & top and where the majority of men are in suits.

cinnabar · Nov 22, 2005

I can''t remember a single woman wearing pants to this party last year, although it would have looked fine. I never wear them myself. I bought a set of sweatpants and matching hoodie once, for lounging at a health spa. Wore ''em just that once. I have two pairs of smart black slacks in the wardrobe that have never been worn, I have no idea whether they even still fit.

I was miffed last year that the dress code was actually "semi formal/holiday attire - "Black and White theme"". I did have a nice long dress in black, but it wasn''t the one I wanted to wear. White is a terrible option for long dresses, unless you want to look like a bride, so it had to be black. I know black is very elegant, but it''s so boring when everyone wears it. I like a Christmas party to be fun and colorful, with reds and greens. As it happened, most women took as much notice of the color code as they did of the instruction re length, and there were as many red dresses as there were black ones last year. There''s no color code this year, which is a huge improvement. I can wear my blackcurrant gown.

I''m not sure I like the look when the wife wears pouffy satin (she''s the one with the bosom all over

) and her husband wears Bing Crosby though. I betcha anything that was a recycled bridesmaid horror, hehe.

omc · Nov 22, 2005

semi-formal is generally a cocktail dress, something nicer than church attire, but not a ball gown. I''d say short or tea length, and possibly long but only if there is no beading or intricate design. However, people rarely follow dress codes, and you are probably right that it just says "semi-formal" so that the men don''t have to rent or buy tuxes. The "holiday attire" is confusing. Who is supposed to know what that means? I have received a few invitations, and the trend with that phrase seems to be that holiday attire means "a little bit dressier than the normal dress code"

Sparkster · Nov 22, 2005

I''ve always believed that ''black tie'' means tuxes for men and long dresses/ball gowns for women.

Semi meaning lounge suits for men and as for women - the kind of dress you would wear to a church wedding (but no hat!!)

Nowadays though, no one really sticks to the dress code. There will always be a large number of people turning up either over or under dressed.

When in doubt, I''ve always preferred to go underdressed than overdressed.

eks6426 · Nov 23, 2005

This calls for the LBD--the Little Black Dress that women for ages have kept in their closet for just such an occassion. The key to this is finding a dress that is classic & flattering. It should be able to be worn for years. You "modernize" it with jewelry/shoes/bag/wrap each season. Having a great LBD in your closet will be an asset your whole life--it solves that "oh, my gosh, I need something to where to a party, formal dinner etc" issue. It''s worth the time & money to find a good one...don''t scrimp. Part of the secret is getting fabric that has enough heft to lay properly..it''s not the time for that slightly tight lycra dress.

Good luck & let us know what you decide!

Patty · Nov 23, 2005

cinnabar, Did I read correctly. You don''t wear pants?! Not even sweats? What about blue jeans?

I''d curious...What do you wear when you are lounging around the house?

I would love to never have to wear a dress EVER.

Patty · Nov 23, 2005

I hope none of the guys drink too much at your office party this year, ladies.

You''d hate to see your co-worker looking like this...

1140%20dont%20get%20wasted%20at%20the%20office%20party.jpg

Erin · Nov 23, 2005

HaHaHa someone told me of a company golf outing last year that went awry when some select few drank too much and went skinny dipping. I''m sorry but I thought of some of those physiques and was horrified. Really? They just pranced around the lake diving off the dock. OMG he was there, naked?

She did it, too? OMG!!!

Last year our Christmas party was semi-formal. I wore a calf length black dress that ties in ribbon on each shoulder. Minimal jewelry. A few women wore heavy sequin dresses (but not ''gowns''), others wore prom-dress type dresses (strapless and full A-line), and others wore a Christmas sweater with black dress pants. Semi-formal doesn''t mean what I think it to mean. To me it means ''how dressed up can you get without wearing a ballgown or formal.''
Holiday dress would to me inspire the pants and nice dress shirt with a little sparkle. But then again, I LOVE clothes and love dressing up.

fire&ice · Nov 23, 2005

I have a tux of my own that seems to be a go anywhere thing. It''s a worsted wool Ralph Lauren in black with a dark grey pin stripe w/ great women styling. It''s never been out of place.

Also, accessories can really dress up or dress down an outfit. I have a long slinky black skirt & top to match. To make it formal, I wear a white dressy shawlish scarf.

I don''t do dresses. They don''t look good on me. It''s either dressy pants or two piece skirt outfits.

The most important thing about proper attire (other than you aren''t squezed into something w/ your boobs hanging out) is that it fits correctly & you feel good wearing it. If you are confident, you can pull off most anything as semi formal.

Madam Bijoux · Nov 23, 2005

To me, semi-formal is a 2-piece St. John knit suit. (They make beautiful glittery tops and jackets that don''t overshadow your jewelry.)

cinnabar · Nov 23, 2005

Date: 11/23/2005 9:48:05 AM
Author: Patty
cinnabar, Did I read correctly. You don''t wear pants?! Not even sweats? What about blue jeans?

I''d curious...What do you wear when you are lounging around the house?

I would love to never have to wear a dress EVER.

I don''t wear pants. Ever. Well, if I have a choice anyway. Yes, I do have one pair of blue jeans: I volunteer at a wildlife rescue center and I had to buy jeans for that. I only wear them for work. I like summer best, when I can wear shorts instead.

I think it''s one of the big differences between the UK and US, we Brits don''t really do casual when it comes to clothes, not in the same way that Americans do. We''re more European, in that we aren''t really interested in "bigger is better" diamonds, we''re more likely to judge someone''s status by the clothes they wear. I''m not into designer brands myself, but I have never been able to get the hang of "leisure wear" either.

I wear the same stuff around the house as I''d wear if I were going to someone''s house for drinks. I''m dressed for work right now, but yesterday I wore a just-below-knee-length straight khaki skirt, Liberty print blouse and crew neck green sweater. I wore that to go to the dentist, and then all day at home while doing my weekly ironing and cooking dinner. That''d be a typical day at home for me.

I love dresses, hate pants.

(We call them trousers in Britain. Pants to us are underwear

)

Odilia · Nov 23, 2005

{{{{{{{ I love dresses, hate pants. }}}}}}}}}}

Me too!

larussel03 · Nov 23, 2005

semi formal to me means the little black dress. I have this one that''s got spaghetti straps, and it''s longer in the back with a (not too high) slit in the front that has black lace along it. It''s so perfect b/c it''s about mid calf length in the back and slightly shorter in the front and does not show too much skin. The only thing about it is it doesnt cover up this black butterfly tattoo I''ve got on the inside of my ankle, although it''s so rare that anyone ever notices it anyway, and can be covered easily with makeup or with black nylons, which I usually dont wear. MAC concealor makes it virtually undetectable for those moments when it''s not appropriate to have visible tatts.

cinnabar · Dec 11, 2005

Update: the party was last night. I wore a long dress, fairly plain, silk, no embroidery or beading. Other women wore long dresses, cocktail dresses, sparkly tops and skirts. Some wore outfits I would go to the office in (eg plain grey wool dress, with knee high black boots).

The interesting thing, going back to the original discussion in this thread, is that I only saw two women in trousers: one in a matching gold satin top and pants, and one in knee length culottes.

The men went all the way from turtleneck sweaters through lounge suits to tuxedos. However, the men didn''t match the women in each couple; just because the guy had a tux, didn''t mean his partner had a long gown.

I saw very little diamond jewellery; most women were wearing big costume jewellery or chunky silver. These people are well-off, many of them very wealthy indeed, but they seem to spend their money on cars, holidays or houses rather than clothes or jewels.

I love people-watching

Erin · Dec 13, 2005

I just bought this for Mark''s Christmas party - don''t know if I should get the matching black velvet jacket as well.
Will also be wearing dangling emerald earrings set in gold. Would black fishnets be too much? I usually like to add an element of surprise.

Erin · Dec 13, 2005

With Jacket

cinnabar · Dec 13, 2005

I saw that dress in a catalogue and fell in love with it myself, it is gorgeous! I was put off because they only showed it with the jacket on top, so I couldn''t see the neckline or sleeves.

It would have been absolutely perfect for the party we just went to.

I''m not a big fan of fishnets, they always remind me of the Rocky Horror Show, and they''re horribly unflattering on my legs. I''d like plain black stockings with this dress, I think.

Erin · Dec 13, 2005

Thanks Cinn

I think (in the Midwest) a jacket would be most appropriate - I''m just not sure I like THAT jacket. I like things with a bit more structure.

Office Party, dress code

Shiny_Rock

Sponsored By:

Related topics:

Super_Ideal_Rock

Super_Ideal_Rock

Super_Ideal_Rock

Brilliant_Rock

Shiny_Rock

Rough_Rock

Brilliant_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Shiny_Rock

Brilliant_Rock

Brilliant_Rock

Shiny_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Ideal_Rock

Shiny_Rock

Ideal_Rock