What does black tie optional mean for women?

Question

i am going to en event that says black tie optional, as a woman i am not sure what that means for me. dress, evening gown, etc????

Answer 1

For women, black tie optional means a woman can wear either a formal gown (full length) or a cocktail dress. If you are going with a date and he is wearing a tuxedo, you should wear the gown; if he is wearing a dress suit, try the cocktail dress.

Answer 2

Black Tie Optional Women

Answer 3

Black tie is a dress code for formal evening events. Its primary component is the dinner jacket (or "D.J.") as it is known in the United Kingdom, the northeastern United States, and Canada. The jacket and matching trousers are typically called a tuxedo in the United States and Canada, and a smoking on the European continent.

Black tie is today worn at a wide variety of functions, and the corresponding female attire can range from a short cocktail dress to a long gown, depending on fashion, local custom and the hour at which the function takes place.

Even if it's optional, you should wear an evening gown.

Answer 4

Think of it like this. Black tie for men usually means a tux. Women usually wear an evening gown when men wear a tux. Therefore, black tie optional would, for women, mean they don't have to wear an evening gown, but that you could wear something that would fit in well where evening gowns might be worn.

Answer 5

Something from the "formal wear" department of a department store, or from a nice boutique. this is USUALLY a dress with heels, but formal wear can also include very dressy pants that are flowing. the whole thing is to be flowing.

you'll want to wear makeup, you'll want to have your hair done very nicely (much nicer than usual), and maybe even have beautiful, special clips in your hair and jewelry.

you CAN wear flats, especially if you can't walk in heels (i learned how, but a lot of women can't i know), so your shoes, especially if they can be seen, must be the nicest.

black tie means very formal. don't wear an average dress and have your hair looking like it would normally. look very above average, and special. there will be women there who do not fit this description, however they are dressed wrong for the occasion. the proper thing is to dress as nicely as possible.

most formal wear will run you about $100, depending on what kind of sales you can get and were you buy your clothes. the last formal dress i bought was to go to a very nice wedding and it was $180. this is NOT normal, but it was the most flattering dress i found for my body type (i'm thin but curvy). i did wear formal-looking sandles for it, because it was in the middle of the summer and everyone i asked was also wearing that kind of footware.

ask around if you know others going to the event, and kind of get a feel for what they're going to wear. men may wear a suit and jacket, or even a tux. you don't want to look under-dressed at such an event.

my personal opinion is that it is better to overdress than underdress, you'll just look cheap and stupid if you underdress. some men, depending on the crowd and size of the crowd, may wear tuxes. you want to fit in, not look like you're going to church or something rather normal.

Answer 6

It means that you have the option to go formal.
Either along gown or a very nice cocktale dress.

Answer 7

Optional means that you can wear either formal clothers, such as gown, or semi-formal, such as slacks and top or a more casual dress.

Answer 8

What it means is that whatever it is you wear - gown or long formal skirt with top - it has to either go to the floor or ankle length. NOTHING higher - that's what makes the women's wear formal and matching to a man's tuxedo.

Answer 9

It means it's semi-formal.

Answer 10

black tie for men... black gown for women.