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This page is intended to describe the different levels of dress code used in Western countries. As a general rule, you can wear clothes at the specified level or above; ie. if the invitation specifies Black tie, you can wear White tie instead. The exceptions are:
Summary National dress National dress is appropriate on all occasions; see the appropriate section on White tie for details. Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal The first three styles listed above are the strict definitions. People often confuse the three; please check with your invitor to ensure that they intend for you to wear the style specified (eg. people often use "Formal" to mean any of the first three, and "Informal" to indicate "Casual"). Formal Typical events: Diplomatic receptions/balls, the Opera, Mardi Gras/charity/debutante ball, important fund-raising dinner Semi-formal Typical events: Weddings, theatre opening nights, debutante balls There is variation in style depending on whether it is summer or winter. See Black tie for more details. Casual The term Casual describes a wide variety of clothing, ranging from Smart casual to Active attire. Business attire Although some attire is described as "business", many offices do not enforce (or expect) the Informal dress code specified above. Many habitually wear clothes from the Smart casual and Casual chic categories. As a general rule, though, when people say "business wear", they refer to the Informal category above. Definitions For Dress code purposes, the following definitions are used: | ||||||||
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