Gazelle 14 Spring 1-24_Gazelle Magazine 4/17/14 7:01 PM Page 17
what to wear
CHARITY EVENTS
The Long and Short of it
Dissecting the ever-confusing “dress code”
BY LISETTE DENNIS
Knowing what to wear to charity events can be more
challenging than buying your first suit after earning
your MBA. Solid black, gray, or navy blue? Tweed
or pinstripe? Above or below-the-knee skirt?
Moreover, invitations to high-ticket events may
list cocktail or black tie, but nowhere are dress
codes defined. To complicate matters more, a
theme, such as 1920s bohemian Paris, highlighted
in May’s Opera Theatre of St Louis’ gala invite, may
be the specified dress. But detailed wardrobe designs are not always drawn in black and white, and
an astute young woman could be left with too many
calculated risks.
“A full-length gown like
Claire and Olivia, takes
evening dressing to
great new lengths.”
How then does a professional, aiming for the
corner office, select an outfit for her charity debut?
The desire and need to appear confident and in
command while dining and dancing also weigh into
how and what is chosen. For direction, follow these
leads to a power appropriate look for the evening
event neophyte.
Two ambitious fictional characters are a prime
source for strategic looks. Claire Underwood of House
of Cards, and Scandal’s Olivia Pope, both women who
think “presidential” day and night, offer excellence in
evening wear examples. In season one, Claire, the
non-profit executive played by Robin Wright, oozed
authority at cocktail parties clad in the “little black
dress.” The simply designed Theory, L’Wren Scott and
Narciso Rodriguez knee-length ebony sheaths are
multi- seamed, fitted and vary slightly in seaming detail, neckline and sleeve length.
Political fixer Olivia, incarnated by Kerry Washington, didn’t have many cocktail obligations. But
for those she did attend, she, too, chose knee-length
shifts, albeit more often in white (a Michael Kors
with black lace) or light neutral colors. For
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White House formals, she waltzed only in floorgrazing gowns—a lean white Escada column, also
with black lace, and an off-white Jean Fares with
yards of fabric cascading from the metallic-infused
bodice. Claire revealed more skin in commanding, strapless Narciso Rodriguez,
Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani dresses
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue soirées.
Both of these leading ladies’ black-tie
event clothes spoke an assertive, yet
quiet elegance. Both women interpreted
“cocktail” differently from black tie, with
the former, shorter and more restrained;
the latter, longer and more dramatic.
Locally (and back to the real world), charity invitations from the Saint Louis Symphony or Variety the Children’s
Charity,
usually
require
black-tie dress (translationclassic gowns). However,
Emilie Hensley, the associate director of development
with Opera Theatre of
Saint Louis, explains that
both formal and cocktail
attire is welcomed and
worn by guests. She adds
that the younger crowd
favors the shorter lengths
and styles more akin to
cocktail dress.
The little black dress
is ultimately the best
return on investment
as it serves to unilaterally present a polished
presentation and fulfill
both cocktail and
black-tie obligations.
But donning a fulllength gown like Claire
and Olivia, takes
evening dressing to
great new lengths.
Robin
Wright
Kerry
Washington
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