Tips on dress codes, hair styles and manners for your formal occasions

Dress for formal occasions

By Doris Möller

Although filled with great excitement and anticipation, having to attend a formal event requires a lot of thought and effort. You want to make a really good impression. You are wondering - how to dress for the formal occasion - how to style your hair and make up to wear. What type of clothes to wear, trying to make sure to choose the appropriate attire for the occasion. Unfortunately you can make an unfavorable impression by wearing the wrong type of dress, wrong hair style for your face and body and, really ruin it all by displaying bad manners.

Here then are a few tips to help you make your evening a great success.

Dress Code for Formals

Invitations usually indicate what type of attire is preferred

If you go as a couple your dress code should be coordinated with your partner for the particular event. You will be told on your invitation if it is a formal, semi formal, etc. event.

Afternoon event ?after 1p.m. is a semi-formal day occasion, formal day wear or anything else from jeans to a party dress. For men business suit or more casual. Look for guidance at the invitation.

Ladies hair style is casual, usual day hair style, chic and fashionable

Hairstyles by Doris Möller

For a Semi-formal evening occasion: Men wear a dark suit or dinner jacket ?women wear cocktail dresses or for example a “little black dress?with accessories.

Ladies hair style is more formal

Hairstyles by Doris Möller

Formal - Black Tie: Women wear a long cocktail dress, long dress or ball gown or dressy evening separates, but not too fancy. It should be elegant. Men wear tuxedos.

Ladies hair style formal updos, formal up/down or formal down

Hairstyles by Doris Möller

Very formal - Men wear White Tie, vest, shirt ?women wear full length ball gowns.

Ladies hair style, very formal updos

Hairstyles by Doris Möller

Dress for dancing

If you intend to dance choose an outfit that is comfortable to dance in and that does not interfere with your partner. For instance very wide sleeves that make it hard for your partner to reach around your back or a very long skirt/dress that could easily trip your partner or you.

Here are a few tips on manners to keep in mind:

Don’t talk too loud
Don’t pad or slap anybody
Don’t whisper
Don’t chew gum
Don’t make sexual remarks or gestures and don’t behave in a sexual way with your partner.
Don’t ever be rude

Your guide to be on your best behavior should be to do nothing that could offend anybody and to be respectful of everybody.

Here are a few table manners:

When you are seated at the table put your napkin on your lap
If you have eaten, wipe your lips with a napkin before drinking from your glass
Don’t put your elbows on the table
Hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand and hold the fork and the knife with your index finger.
Place your knife and fork on the plate in an X shape if you like a little break from eating. That way the waiter knows that you have not finished yet and won’t take your plate away. The fork goes on the left and the knife rests on the fork, pointing away from you.
When eating bread, break off a little piece of bread and then put butter on it. (If you want to eat butter).
When you are finished with your meal place the fork and knife side by side on the plate again, pointing away from you.
Of course, don’t talk with food in your mouth.

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