Dress Code Advice For Ladies

With today's women's fashion seeing the widest choice of styles, fabric's and colour choice's, trying to find the right outfit for a social event can be a nightmare. So many Social Events still follow Dress Code's, fashion do's and don'ts, although these day's many formal events have widend their boundaries to keep intime with the forever imaginative changing trends.

No one likes to turn up to a social event wearing the wrong attire, over dressed or indeed under dressed however a great deal of the final decision on the 'over dressed or under dressed' depends a lot on you as an individual as many do indeed like to stand out in a crowd! With these thoughts in mind we want to help you feel confident about your final outfit choice by de-codying some of those dress code' s for you.

Black Tie and Formal Wear - Formal evening's are alway's a real treat for us Ladies - the chance to shine in all our feminine glory. Women can be expected to wear evening gown's or fancey cocktail dresses that must, however, be below the knee. The fabric is important, materials like silk, satin and lace usually fit in well to formal events. Colours largely depend on the time of year, time of day and the latest colour trends are worth paying attention to. Guidelines to follow are deep jewel tones such as crimson, dark purple and emerald green are appropriate, especially in the fall or winter. For the Spring and Summer Pastel colours are always complimentary for an outdoor event. Black, an every women's wardrobe must have, along with white are two classic options anytime of the year but should both be avoided for weddings unless the bride agree's of course or has a theme.

Men can be expected to wear a dark suit and tie or a tuxedo. Black -tie events can include formal crusie dinners, wedding receptions, upscale parties, gala dinners and balls such as Debutante and charity. 

·         Evening Gown -  Long flowing women's dress worn to a formal affair. Length ranges from tea and ballerina to full-length.    Although the terms are used interchangeably, ball gowns and evening gowns differ in that a ball gown will always have a full,   flared skirt and a strapless bodice. An evening gown can be any silhouette - sheath, mermaid, A-line or trumpet shaped - and may have straps, halters or even sleeves.

·         Cocktail Dresses - A beautiful dress that is just short of being a formal gown. Most Cocktail dresses are mid-thigh to knee length but can come in calf to ankle lengths. If you are thinking of wearing a cocktail dress for a formal affair, as a safe guide line, choose lengths below or around the knee.

A Cocktail party- is a semi-formal event such as a evening wedding (after 6pm), semi-formal day wedding, charity event, usually held early evening serving drinks and light hors d'oevurves. Cocktail dresses come in a wide range of fabrics but satin and silk still remain the most popular choice. When choosing colours stick to the normal seasonal colour guide lines, Summer - Floral prints (a must have for Summer 2011!), light pinks, pale blues, pale greens and yellow are good choices but for the more daring purple has been another Summer 2011 must have and is a colour due to follow us into the Autumn! For the winter comes the 'little black dress', the women's 'when all else fails' a colour that seems to keep dresses in a timeless style in our wardrobe. Grey, Crimson, Dark Brown and Blue are also complimentary winter colours. Cocktail dresses come in a choice of lengths from modern day mini to just above the ankle. The length of Cocktail dress you choose really depends on the event and you as a person but if you stick to the guide lines of choosing lengths below or just on the knee for more formal affairs and be more daring for those lighter social events. It is also exceptable for women to wear dressey trouser suits at cocktail parties and for business events try to go for a tailored dress look - straight lines, not fussey, sophisticated not sexy. 

 For Men, as always, its a lot less complicated they are expected to wear a casual suit and smart shoes.

Prom  -  a formal black tie event usually held at the end of secondary school, 6th form, college or University. The Prom event started in the USA and Canada and is now fast becoming a popular part of our youth culture! This is a formal event but with a much wider style spectrum, prom dresses come in all lengths starting from the mid-thigh cocktail to the more traditional full layered ball gown. To help you decide on the right style of dress for your event its always a good idea to do a bit of back ground checking on the event talk to your friends and check social net-working sites to see if your event is listed www.whatruwearing.co.uk, a popular UK social events directory where not only is your event listed but guests attending can advise on what their wearing to avoid that 'she's wearing my dress' drama and give shopping advise! For colours, as always its a good idea to check the seasons latest colour trends - 2011 has seen lots of bright citric colours such as lime green, yellow, electric blue, pinks, purple or bold prints such as floral or aztec.  White and pale shades have also been a complimentary look to the warm spring and summer. Black is always elegant and flattering and the metallics, gold and silver, are still as popular in 2010 as they were in 2009. Prom dresses come in all sorts of fun and glamourous fabrics, satins, silks, lace, and can be detailed with crystals, beads, glitter and a big style trend has been sequines - from sequine detail to all over sparkling dresses!

The guys can where black or white suits or tuxedos with smart matching shoes and paired with a tie and shirt of their choice - some choose brightly coloured ties or go for more traditional colours and designs....again this depends on the individual and the event!

Race day - always remember to check the dress code for the day as some events can be quit casual. For Ladies day the decision on what to where depends a lot on where you will be whilst at the races and what race you are attending. As Royal Ascot Ladies day is one of the biggest race meets in the calender I see it wise when attending race meets to follow the official Royal Ascot dress code guidelines advised by the Queens representatives. Royal Ascot Ladies day is always an array of colour -  yellow, purple, white, lime green, orange are always fresh summer colours and were extremely popular at Ladies Day 2011!

SILVER RING - Wear smart clothing but no formal dress code applies. Bare chests are NOT permitted

GRANDSTAND - Some choose to follow the Royal enclosure dress code but generally semi-formal day dress wear is worn and it is acceptable to wear spagetti straps and it is not essential that dresses are below the knee however remain tasteful. Hats and Fascinators are worn but aren't obligatory. MEN must wear a shirt and a tie preferably with a suit or jacket and its strictly FORBIDDEN for jeans, shorts and sports attire to be worn.

ROYAL ENCLOSURE - Ladies are ONLY allowed into the Royal enclosure wearing formal day dresses with a hat or fascinator and dresses MUST be below the knee. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spagetti straps, straps less than 1inch and miniskirts are NOT exceptable. Full length trouser suits are allowed but must be of matching colour and material.  Midriffs MUST be covered at all times. GENTLEMEN MUST wear grey or black morning suits including waist coat with a top hat.