Let me start with a confession: I really have quite a strong dislike for Christmas. There are various reasons for that, but the main one is that I immediately go into resistance mode as soon as someone imposes the idea of having a good time on me. Which is also the reason why I find New Year's Eve even worse, if possible. The details will surely come up another time, for now it suffices to say that the past few years my New Year's Eve has actually always been hell. I can't possibly explain how incredibly happy I am that this year I will spend both Christmas and New Year's Eve on a scorching hot beach in Vietnam. It makes me so happy that today in the Fashion Explorer I stroke my black-hearted heart and will talk about the despised holidays anyway. Or well, about all the dinners and parties that come with it. Because, dress codes and etiquette, it's always quite a hassle. What do you wear, what not, and especially, what time can you possibly go home again?.
Dress codes and ETIQUETTE, it's always quite a hassle. What do you wear, what not, and especially, what time can you possibly go home again?.
A bit of a party comes with a dress code. The idea is that you adhere to the dress code, unless your name is Bas Kosters and you show up everywhere with your AntiFashion concept in bags from Dirk van den Broek and Zeeman (seriously). Anyway, there are plenty of people who panic completely at dress codes, but it's better to cherish them. Nothing is more annoying than showing up totally under- or overdressed (do we remember Bridget Jones who showed up in a bunny suit because she was the only one who hadn't received the changed dress code?) and a dress code protects you from that. If you have a fancy party, you might get black tie or white tie in for it. At that first one, your husband wears a tuxedo with smooth black leather shoes and you wear an elegant (cocktail) dress. Your neckline is modest and discreet, jewelry is subtle, and you leave your gloves at home. At white tie you can let loose. Your dress is floor-length, the bust can be generously accentuated, jewelry is now your best friend again, and take those long gloves out of their drawer. By the way, you wear rings under your gloves, bracelets over them. The man on your arm wears a tailcoat with a white vest, white shirt, and white bow tie, with patent leather shoes underneath. A watch is not worn in either case because that is impolite to the host or hostess. After all, at a nice party, it's not important that you know the time. Just a fun fact to drop casually during such an evening, the reason we talk about tuxedos is that it was once, long ago, a velvet jacket that men wore after dinner while smoking cigars, so they wouldn't sit at the table with clothes smelling of smoke when the cheese (which came afterward) was served.
If you don't have arms as STEEL as Michelle Obama, you are quickly condemned to a dress with SLEEVES.
Bare arms, those are complicated. The rules for such things are no longer as strict as they used to be; you mainly need a bit of self-awareness. Or honest friends. Personally, it bothers me that women massively squeeze themselves into strapless dresses, while about 98% should probably avoid that. Really, there is nothing uglier than those back flaps hanging out of your dress. I myself have a very beautiful strapless dress from Armani that I wear with a mesh top underneath, like at the launch of Amayzine.com. Perfect solution, if I may say so myself. Bare upper arms then, also something like that. If you don't have arms as steel as Michelle Obama, you are quickly condemned to a dress with sleeves. Personally, I find that almost always prettier, by the way.
A few more things to watch out for. If you are invited to a dinner, keep in mind that you wear a dress that doesn't look like it's about to burst at the seams. Or, and I speak from experience, that you have your eye on a tight model and in preparation put yourself on a diet for a week, only to find yourself comfortably expanded again by course 4 and back in that dress. And also, when you stand in front of the mirror and think, “yes, this dress is amazing, this is going to work,‘ ask yourself if that dress is still just as beautiful when you sit down in it. I have made the mistake of wearing a very beautiful, very simple black dress with a lovely fall and then dressing it up with insane heels in rather hysterical colors. But well, at such a table, that doesn't help you at all, and in all the photos from that evening, I look like I'm in my T-shirt. Not cool.
Don't start saying goodbye to everyone. Just do the HOUDINI (disappear secretly), all that “noooo, are you really leaving” is just a hassle.
Not burst out of your dress and thus survived the evening? Great, time to go home. Don't start saying goodbye to everyone. Just do the Houdini (disappear secretly), all that “noooo, are you really leaving” is just a hassle. I seriously doubt whether Amy Groskamp-Ten Have would approve of this either, but it's that black-hearted heart, you can't just get rid of it that easily. This is the first and last time I'm going to say it this year: I wish you all a wonderfully nice holiday season.
