Dress to Impress

[JoeInPhila2]

I have an 'office party' to attend this Thursday and the style requested is 'dress to impress'. I was told though that it was more of a 'smart casual' and not to obviously wear jeans but also something like a tux was not necessary either. What should I wear so as not to be underdressed Or overdressed?
I must also mention I am on a limited budget and this is not a very frequent thing for me so I wouldn't want to invest in something that I may not wear again in the very near future. I just want to make sure I don't stand out in any way,so I would need the right pants/shirt combo as well as a good brand.

 

[JRinDC]

White dress shirt, blue cashmere or fine merino sweater (roll the sleeves) and a good quality black or grey wool pant, perhaps in a subtle windowpane fabric. Just one idea.

 

[JoeInPhila2]

Originally Posted by JRinDC

White dress shirt, blue cashmere or fine merino sweater (roll the sleeves) and a good quality black or grey wool pant, perhaps in a subtle windowpane fabric. Just one idea.

Would it also matter if sweaters weren't quite my style? White shirt maybe,but it'd have to be the right kind.

 

[JRinDC]

How about blazers? Do you have a nice sport coat? Maybe something you could dress up with good pants or dress down with jeans?

 

[Thurston]

Where's the party? At the office? At a restaurant? Smart casual seems like a good interpretation. Keep in mind that it's supposed to be pretty warm in Philadelphia on Thursday, so a sweater may not be the best recommendation.

 

[JRinDC]

THat's a fair point. It could hit 70 on Thursday. Scratch the sweater.

 

[mendel]

"Dress to impress" is the usual dress code for the sort of club that lets people in based on what they're wearing -- so I'd assume that the person that wrote the invitation used it for lack of any better idea how to express what they wanted. Smart casual, but downtown smart casual.

 

[TIEALIGN]

I would go with some light charcoal wool pants, a black button down, and black driving machs.

 

[JoeInPhila2]

I found a pair of dress pants,now I just have to decide what kind of top to wear. I have a light sweater and also polo shirts,not sure if polo is too casual.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

That depends on the style and material of the polo. And, tricky, on what others are wearing. Not that a high price makes it work, but if the polo's full price was under $50, it most likely would look too casual for the pants and the setting.

 

[Thomas]

I prefer longer sleeves for evening, especially if I am asked to impress.

If it were me: White shirt, blazer, jeans, brown dress shoes.

If it's colder - solid suit with turtleneck or boldly striped sweater.

You might also compare notes with others who will be attending.

 

[j]

I'd suggest something like a dress shirt under a v-neck sweater, or a polo collar sweater, along with dress pants and good shoes. Pretty safe.

 

[LARon]

When you notice other people on the street, what look impresses you?

Buy/wear that.

 

[cpac]

I'd echo that this call for something you'd wear out to a club. I'd say a suit no tie, or some sort of blazer combo - perhaps with a tight sweather rather than dress shirt underneath. Think dark colors generally, and perhaps a good occasion for the much maligned black suit.