What is the difference between black tie and evening attire?
Formal evening – This is the height of dressing (and the invitation says “white tie” or “black tie” or “formal” ). The women wear either long dresses or short “party-type” dresses. If the women are wearing long dresses, the men wear tuxedos. Black tie means either “cocktail”-type street length dresses or long dresses for women. If the woman is wearing a long dress, a male escort is best attired in a tuxedo, otherwise a dark business suit is appropriate. In some communities, especially those in tropical climates, white dinner jackets still pass muster for formal affairs. Check first to see whether this event is being held in such a community. Chances are that in the bigger, more traditional cities — e.g. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC — you won’t see a whole lot of white dinner jackets. Semi-formal evening – This is a hybrid between formal and informal. Men typically wear dark suits and woman wear cocktail dresses or other party-type wear. Informal evening – Men still we
