Semi-formal

This article is about the dress code. For the term in the formal methods subfield of computer science, see Formal semantics.

Western dress codes Formal wear Formal Semi-formal Informal Smart casual Business casual Casual Active attire

Couples in semi-formal dresses and suits

In Western clothing semi-formal is a grouping of dress codes, indicating the sort of clothes worn to events with a level of protocol between informal (e.g. lounge suit) and formal.^[1] Historically there were both day and evening semi-formal dress codes, but this category is now seen almost exclusively in the context of evening wear.

Background

The origins of semi-formal attire date back to the 1800s when Edward VII, the Prince of Wales, wanted a more comfortable dinner attire than the swallowtail coat.^[2]

In the spring of 1886, the Prince invited James Potter, a rich New Yorker, and his wife, Cora, to Sandringham House, the Prince's hunting estate in Norfolk. When Potter asked for the Prince's dinner dress code, the Prince sent him to his tailor, Henry Poole & Co., in London, where he was given a suit made to the Prince's specifications with the dinner jacket.^[3]

On returning to Tuxedo Park, New York, in 1886, Potter's dinner suit proved popular at the Tuxedo Park Club. Not long afterward, when a group of men from the club chose to wear such suits to a dinner at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City, other diners were surprised. They were told that such clothing was popular at Tuxedo Park, so the particular cut then became known as the "Tuxedo".^[3]

From its creation into the 1920s, this dinner jacket was considered appropriate dress for dining in one's home or club, while the tailcoat remained in place as appropriate for public appearance.^[2]

Traditional use

In the day time (before six o'clock) the semi-formal code requires for men a black tail-less coat with formal (striped or checked) trousers (this combination is morning dress, sometimes referred to as the "stroller" in America). For evening wear, the corresponding code is black tie (often simply tuxedo in American English);^[4]

Colloquial use

The traditional interpretation of dress codes in different social settings and continents now varies, so much so that use of the term 'semi-formal' will often lead to confusion. With the use of full-formal attire such as 'white-tie' or 'morning dress' less common, traditionally defined attire such as 'black-tie' is perceived simply as 'formal', leaving 'informal' and 'semi-formal' as somewhat interchangeable terms.^[5]

Women

For semi-formal occasions, women usually wear a cocktail dress, as a long evening gown is formal attire.^[6]

Summary

Eveningwear

Black tie (Dinner Jacket/Tuxedo)

Morningwear

Stroller

References

1. ^ Black Tie Guide | Dress Codes; the site uses many more reliable primary sources.
2. ^ ^{a b} Flusser, Alan (2002). Dressing the Man: Mastering the art of Permanent Fashion. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.. p. 240. ISBN 0060191449. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Flusser, Alan (2002). Dressing the Man: Mastering the art of Permanent Fashion. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.. p. 240, 241, 303. ISBN 0060191449. 
4. ^ Flusser, Alan (2002). Dressing the Man: Mastering the art of Permanent Fashion. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.. p. 299. ISBN 0060191449. 
5. ^ Black Tie Guide | Formal Dress Codes
6. ^ Black Tie Guide | Ladies' Evening Wear