I’ve been asked to prepare the invitations for the company Xmas party and one of the bits of information I was asked to include was:
“Formal Attire Required”
My response was: “I gotta wear a tux?”
I was told that no, formal means a suit & tie.
This sounds wrong to me. I was always under the impression that what was described would be semi-formal.
Anyone know which description corresponds to what type of clothing?
Thanks.
There are a couple different guides on the web, which don’t always agree. Google ‘formal semiformal black white tie cocktail’ or some similar collection and you’ll usually find some good listings.
One tidbit I do know is that if tuxedos are required for men, that is usually described as ‘black tie’, considered one step higher than just ‘formal’ 
formal may allow less selection of bright colors in suit & tie than semi-formal, I’m not sure of the difference otherwise.
Formal is indeed a tux.
Semi-formal is a suit and tie - if it’s not too late, I would modify the invites - otherwise a bunch of guys in penguin suits are gonna be pissed.
Miss Manners says there is no such thing as “semi-formal.” There’s formal, which can be white tie or black tie; and there’s informal, which can be a variety of things depending on the type of party. Informal at an office party might mean suits or it might mean polo shirts and chinos. Informal at a beach party might mean bathing suits and cover-ups.
I would have thought the same thing you did and would have shown up in a tux. If I were a man, that is.
The company is going to make itself look idiotic if 1) they insist on writing “formal attire required” and 2) if they believe that people are going to understand that “formal” means a suit and tie. It doesn’t.
Just thought I’d chime in to switch over and agree with the majority - after re-checking some of those guides I mentioned, most of them agree that “formal” is pretty much the same as black tie. Tuxes.
(Warn me never to go to a formal affair. 
)
I think Miss Manners also says that a suit and tie is appropriate formal wear in these days when almost no one actually owns a tux. It has to be an actual suit, though, not just a jacket. I’ll see if I can find a cite.
To add to the consensus, I checked a few dictioaries, and as I thought, “formalware” is defined as tuxedos, evening gowns, etc.
I suggest you use the phrase “Business attire”–or, depending on your business, the desired degree of formality, and the stubbornness of the boss who told you to say “formal attire”, you might consider “evening busines attire” or “formal business attire”. The latter two are more ambiguous, but the word “business” should clue them in that you want the men to wear suit of the non-penguin variety. Women tend to have a fair amount more leeway: I’ve seen many “little black cocktail dresses” at formal affairs that didn’t seem out of place (I put that in quotes because the outfits were not necessarily little, black, dresses nor strictly of a cocktail style–but I think you know what I mean: no one would mistake them for an “evening gown”)
An ambiguous phrasing is preferable to a ununambiguously wrong one. It will prompt some people to ask, and word will get around. Inevitably a few won’t get the word, but what’s an office affair without a few humiliating faux pas?
Wearing a suit is often referred to as business attire. Though if you don’t commonly dress in suits at your place of business, I’d avoid that. Why not simply, “Gentlemen are requested to wear suits.”
Formal—white tie
Semi-formal—black tie
Business formal—nice suit
Business casual—everyday suit
Casual—nice shirt & pants (khakis, probably not jeans)
Once upon a time, perhaps, Eve, but no longer. Formal is black tie. (If you want white tie, you specify white tie.)
The OP is looking for “semi-formal,” for which a suit or a jacket & tie are both appropriate.
–Cliffy
OK, this cultural heathen would like to know the difference between “white tie” and “black tie”. I would assume “black tie” to mean tux and it would be at the high-end of dress. Does white tie just mean a white tux?
Methinks I would actually like to go to an orange tie gala.
Your boss is pit-worthy on this one. By saying “formal attire required”, s/he’s going to get a lot of negative RSVPs or people are going to need to buy/rent dinner dresses and tuxes. Are you in a business where that level of dress seems normal?
IIRC, Black tie is a tux with a black tie. Women wear dinner dresses, which cover the bosom and are narrow skirted. White tie is a tux with a white tie and women wear ball gowns, which reveal the bosom and fill the entire car.
If you get invited to the season’s opening night at the Met, or one of the museum benefits, you will be glared at through many a lorgnette should you make a faux pas. Brooke Astor may be 102, but she still packs a mean left hook.
But even casual dress under this scheme has certain requirements. How does one phrase the dress suggestion for an event at which jeans or other less formal attire is appropriate? “Don’t get arrested for indecent exposure on the way over.” doesn’t seem quite satisfactory.
Actually, I thought Black Tie was Informal, and that semi-formal is simply a new term just guaranteed to cause confusion.
For events for which suits are the recommended dress, I usually see invitations specify “Business Attire.”
(Also, White Tie is not a tux with a white tie, but rather a tailcoat with a white vest and tie.)
This doesn’t answer the OP’s question but this is the perfect opportunity to relate this anecdote.
After the 1988 election and shortly before Bush I’s inauguration, my father was invited to a party at Dan Quayle’s house. The invitation specified casual wear. Dad showed up in a suit, Mom showed up in a cocktail gown.
They got there quite early, only the 2nd couple to arrive or so. Dan Quayle came down the stairs, in a sweater and casual pants. He took a look at them, and said, “The invitation said casual.”
Mom said, “Oh, but here in DC you never know what that means, a lot of times it’s actually quite formal, so we decided to play safe.”
Dan Quayle went “oh”, made small talk, and left.
Fifteen minutes later, he came down the stairs again, in a suit and tie. :eek:
Dad turned to Mom and said… “My entire career flashed before my eyes when I saw that you made the Vice-President of the United States change his clothes!”
I have to agree with alice on this, although granted I’ve been out of the country for a while so things may have changed. When I was in college though, hosted social events were grouped by the clothing requirements, with “formals” being the ones you wore a tux to, and “semi-formals” requiring just a suit.
If ‘casual’ is more dressy than jeans, than what do you use to indicate jeans are OK?
Where does ‘clothing-optional’ appear on the scale?
Peace.
A tux with a white tie? I’m not the expert, but wouldn’t white tie involve a tailcoat rather than a tux jacket?