Suggested Attire for Parties

Event planners seem to be getting more and more creative about attire suggestions on invitations. And, I have to admit that a creative suggestion might tip the tables on my decision to attend the event. The invitations before me today suggest: "chic", "festive" and "dressy casual". What each of these mean in terms of what one wears is wide open to interpretation, and needs to be decided in conjunction with the time, place and purpose of the event.

The "dressy casual" event is a fundraiser for an orphanage and sister city to Santa Barbara invitation event for Kotor, Montenegro. It is for the early evening at a beach front estate home in Montecito, California. The question is which to emphasize, the "dressy" or the "casual"? So I'm taking a vote. What would you wear to such an event?

Fine Fabrics dressmaker Cindy whipped up a black and white dress from out-of-print Vogue Pattern 1010 using FineFabrics.com Marimeko inspired black & white cotton with lycra, brightened up with big round red buttons for the "dressy casual" event.

The "festive" event is a cocktail and dinner birthday party, at a mountainside estate home in Montecito, California. For this one, I keep thinking bright and ruffly, something that is flamenco inspired. I think this is because we are in Santa Barbara, and the big city event is our Old Spanish Days Fiesta, performance for which there is a world class flamenco competition. And, that makes flamenco inspired for a "festive" party corney this time of year. Most seem to interpret "festive" as made using bold and brightly colored fabrics. What would you wear to a "festive" cocktail and dinner party?

The "chic" event is already past. It was hosted by Wyland, at his Wyland Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The suggested attire actually of "chic" added to our decision to fly over and attend. It was just too intriguing to see what people might consider as "chic" for a hotel poolside party in Honolulu. Pucci was the order of the evening. I had brought mine along, but opted to wear a chiffon tunic dripping with ribbon of varying colors and widths, over an Indian hand woven cross-dye dupioni long pencil skirt in mustard, with iridescent silk peeking out of its side front slit.