Differentiating white tie event attire from black tie attire

Figure 2.  Nice Dress (not for me). [Photograph 

By Chay, (Taken on January 27, 2008), 

Adapted from  http://www.flickr.com/

photos/chaymation/2272100370/

As if defining ladies attire for a black tie event wasn’t difficult enough there is a whole new category of confusing formal events; white tie events. Over the years black tie has come to be a very hazy attire description for women and white tie is not much different. 

When it comes to women and white, or black tie events the formality label (white or black) serves only as a guide, and a choosing  a dress requires great deal of discretion based on other event details. As a general rule of thumb the amount of effort put into the event determines the formality of the black tie gowns deemed appropriate; the same goes for white tie. 

The easiest way to differentiate the two levels of formality is to describe and outline each.

Black tie dress consists of dresses that you could picture wearing to a fancy restaurant or to an office cocktail party but that doesn’t fit the constraints of white tie event attire. Black tie events don’t even require that you wear a dress you could wear a fitted pants or skirt suit, with or without the blazer; but as I stated earlier, the effort put into the event influences its formality and a dinner/ cocktail/ dance event requires a dress. As far as the dress itself, the typical “little black dress” is perfect along with others like it, no restrictions on length, just try to avoid bright loud colours. 

White tie dress consists of a floor length dress of a solid colour, most often white or black. The accessories should be simple and classy; to heighten the formality, add elbow length white gloves, or a fur mink scarf.

It is important to pay attention to the dress code... or this could happen http://bizfashionpros.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-importance-of-choosing-appropriate.html