What do you wear when the invite says black tie optional?
I got a last minute invite to the IR Magazine Awards dinner last Wednesday night… the invitation said black tie optional. What does that mean? It means you can wear a long ballgown/dress if you’re a woman if you want to but cocktail attire is also appropriate. If you’re a man, both a suit or a tux work. Here’s how I evaluated the situation and determined what to wear
- Wednesday night - plus for cocktail attire (if it had been Friday or Saturday I probably would have given the plus to black tie)
- Cipriani Wall Street, fantastic venue - plus for black tie
- Didn’t know anyone else going except the vendor who invited me - middle ground… depends on if you’re more comfortable being overdressed or underdressed. I would opt for over, but since I’m still on the young side, I think I can get away with under.
- None of my black tie dresses were calling out to me when I got home on Tuesday night - plus for cocktail
I went for the cocktail look and felt great and that’s the most important thing. There were women much more dressed up and women far less dressy so I felt perfect just in the middle. Here’s what I wore:
The separates aspect of this make it even a bit less formal than a cocktail dress, but I felt that the way I tied the color scheme together dressed it up a bit, with the nude lace/fishnet hose and pumps. I just wish the photos had come out a bit better.
ivory silk blouse - Dor d’lor in Hoboken - $40
black silk skirt - my mom’s from years ago!
patent leather belt - HousingWorks just the other day - $5
lace/striped/fishnet hose - Daffy’s - $10
pumps - Bandolino, on sale - $40
bracelets - several mix and matched
crocodile leather clutch - my mom’s bought somewhere in Asia years ago!
