Black Tie or Not for a Cocktail Reception

[guguma]

Dear All,

I am invited to a cocktail reception at a faculty club which will take place between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. I am attending as an alumni and the theme of the event is a centennial celebration.

I am having a dilemma about what to wear, the event is formal-ish and most often on such occasions I employ a less formal black tie style (A non-fancy plain tux jacket, waistcoat and a long tie)

My other option is more casual with khakis, shirt, tie etc.

No sort of dress code is mentioned in the invitation, when I think of it option one carries the risk of being perceived as pretentious, option two carries the risk of looking too simple.

This event is important for me to re-establish contact with some people that I have totally lost contact and it causes me to panic, lol.

What would you advice?

 

[12345Michael54321]

There's a HUGE middle ground between your first option (tuxedo, albeit with long tie - and, just for the record, wearing a long tie with a tuxedo is a fashion trend I dislike) and your second option (khaki pants with tie - which isn't a style I necessarily dislike, so long one is also wearing a jacket).

I suspect your first option is excessively formal and would leave you one of the few (perhaps the only one) in a tuxedo. I suspect that your second option is excessively casual.

I'd recommend the Goldilocks choice - a dark suit.

Let me add that "formal-ish" doesn't really mean much, and "non-fancy plain tux jacket" leaves me wondering what a fancy, non-plain tux jacket looks like.

 

[jrd617]

+1 to what he said.

Why don't you call the faculty office and ask what the dress code is for these functions? My guess is that it's not at all black tie.

 

[HansderHund]

As I read the OP, both Michael and jrd's suggestions were the first to pop into my head. Your first, more formal, proposal seems a bit too formal. In fact, it doesn't seem like a decent compromise for any situation. Using a tuxedo jacket to "dress up" a look rarely works. I do believe there was a thread on playing down semi-formalwear that had a number of experimental examples. The general consensus at the time, though I'd have to double check, was that it seemed like a watered down approach to dressing up at best.

I suppose that's simply because there is less rigidity in dressing requirements for events and invitations that lack direction are open to interpretation.

I would go with a dark, conservative suit. I'd avoid anything that says you just left an office to attend, such as pinstripes, and stick to a simple solid. I'm not sure whether it may be too "themed," and others can chime in, but you could incorporate a tie of the university/organization since you are an alumnus. If you don't want to wear the crest, possibly something just using the colors.

Having said that, I'll echo jrd617 and say that it would be best to ring the office and ask what "normal" attire is for the event. Be prepared to hear something general.