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Can jeans be "dressy casual"?

A

asscherisme

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
2,950
Help!

So I have a banquet to go to tomorrow night for my son's school. Its being held in the cafeteria, its a fund raiser so tickets required and catered food. The ticket says "dressy casual". I don't know what that means!

My clothes seem to be either super casual and really dressy. I have lost weight and the only pants I have that fit me well now are nice jeans (dark in color, no holes). Would it be OK to wear nice jeans with a nice top and nice flats? Otherwise I need to go out and buy something to wear and that seems silly for a school event being held in the cafeteria.

So, what does dressy casual mean to you? Are jeans OK?
 
Absolutely. I'd wear dark jeans, nice top, and fun heels. Throw on some blingy jewelry and you're good to go!
 
Hi! Are there any other moms (or dads - not sure if you are a man or a woman) in your school who are attending the event? If so, I would ask them what they are planning to wear. My feeling is that a catered event could be a little dressier on a Saturday night - maybe a pair of black dress pants, leggings and a longer blouse or a dress would be more appropriate than jeans. But if you get the sense that other people are going in jeans, since it's at a school, then I wouldn't hesitate. Just make sure that your blouse is somewhat dressy and wear a pair of nice shoes.
I hope I helped you! :)
 
Absolutely! I live in jeans (I have SIXTEEN pairs of Levi's?!!?!!) and wear them accordingly. If it is dressy causal, I would wear dark, smart jeans, a silky blouse or similar that is appropriate, nice heels or flats & jewellery. If it's chilly, I'll throw on a tailored blazer or tweed jacket.
 
HI:

You could call the school and ask them to provide an explanation. If you really do not want to buy anything, and want to wear dark wash denim, try adding a jacket over your blouse.

Do you have any dresses?

cheers--Sharon
 
Dressy casual to me is a nice dress or smart trousers, I don't wear jeans for going out, only dog walking or if I'm home all day, but I do understand you not wanting to have to buy something.

The suggestion to either ring the school or canvas others who are going is a good idea. :)
 
Hmmm, the issue is that I am between sizes right now and since I am a stay at home mom, I don't want to buy much else until I reach my goal. Keep the answers coming...
 
Casual = jeans
Dressy = nicer than normal
So I'd wear nice jeans, and a nice top. I'd be surprised if you don't see yoga pants and shorts LOL.
 
Borrow something?
 
I feel like you won't be the only one in dark jeans and a nice top. Like others have said, dress it up with nicer shoes, accessories, blazer.

Not a parent, but what I wear to most "nicer" but trendy restaurants. I never feel out of place.

I think dressy casual means no holes in your clothes to be honest...
 
I live in jeans too. I would wear what others have suggested, a nice top, some jewelry and cute shoes and you are good to go. It is in a cafeteria so how dressy could the event be?
 
Given that I'm from CA:
Dressy = Dark jeans and no sneakers and not a t-shirt on top. Well, maybe a nice one. OH yeah. Bling it up. No one will notice what you're wearing.
 
Agreed, dark jeans, heels and nice shirt.
 
I think it's fine! Pair them with a nice top and some jewelry and you should be good to go.

We just attended our school's gala. A few ladies wore nicer dresses, but the rest of the dresses were not 'special occasion' per se. Plenty wore nice slacks, and several wore jeans paired with a nicer top and pretty jewelry. Some men wore suits and ties, most wore kakis and a button-down, some wore jeans, at least one even wore everyday clothes and a baseball cap (teacher's husband, too).
 
Yes... and that's coming from an old fogey (albeit a California old fogey).
 
What we think really doesn't matter and as others suggested I would call my friends in the neighborhood who are attending and see what they think.

But since you asked-I don't consider jeans (dark or otherwise) to ever be considered in the "dressy" category even with the word casual after it. However I am in my 50s and so take that into account and I am not a fan of jeans. Again though, if jeans are considered OK for dressy casual in the area you live that is A-OK and you are good to go.

But just like Austina, to me, the term dressy casual means a nice dress or slacks/trousers and and a sport coat or blazer. But if you are going for the dark jeans then the blouse/shirt you choose is essential to give it that more dressy look.

OK just googled Emily Post. Don't know if you "kids" :lol: still care what she thinks haha but just sharing it here for anyone who is interested. She says a dressy pair of jeans is acceptable. Though she doesn't elaborate on the definition of dressy jeans.

According to manners-expert Emily Post, dressy casual attire includes a sport coat, slacks and a nice shirt for men and a dress, skirt or elegant pantsuit for women. For men, a polo shirt is acceptable, as is a dress shirt or an open-collared buttoned-down shirt. A tie is optional. A dressy pair of jeans along with an elegant shirt also is acceptable for women.

For women, the choice of shirt or blouse often makes the difference in dressy casual attire. Choose a blouse that is made of a sophisticated material, rather than cotton, or pick one that has decorative embellishments to increase the dressy factor. Additionally, always take into account the season when choosing dressy casual clothing. A lightweight, light-colored sport coat or blazer is appropriate for all spring and summer functions, while a dark-colored coat is more appropriate for colder months.
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Have fun tonight no matter what you wear asscherisme and I am sure you will look beautiful!
 
Thanks all for the opinions! I ran into another mom who will be attending this event when I went to the grocery store this morning. I asked her what she was wearing. She is wearing nice jeans and "dressier" top and nice shoes. We had a conversation about the cryptic dress code and we predicted that our teens will be more dressed up than the parents because they are trying to impress each other. I will report back tomorrow if I felt out of place! I think the key is to go with confidence! Given that my size is in transition right now, I actually feel good about how I look in these new jeans and top I picked out. Plus I have some great shoes and will pull out my favorite necklace and earrings.

By the way, I do have a fund I am saving to get myself some great clothes when I meet my weight goal. I'm not that far off. I do have a formal event coming up in 6 weeks though and even if I'm not at goal I will have to buy myself something to wear to that.
 
That's great you managed to speak to someone else and congratulations on your continuing weight loss. I'm really happy to hear you feel good about yourself, we women are often our biggest and harshest critics. Feeling confident, whatever our size, is so important and what fun you'll have buying new clothes when you achieve your target weight.

Like Missy, I'm also in my 50's so to me jeans are casual clothing, and I use any excuse to dress up :lol:
 
I'm glad you were able to talk to another mom about the dress code. Now you can feel comfortable with your outfit. I didn't weigh in as I am also over 50 and look for any opportunity to dress up. Have a great time tonight Asscherisme
 
Thanks everyone. I'm knocking on 50's door right now. Late 40's here :)
 
asscherisme said:
::snip:: I do have a formal event coming up in 6 weeks though and even if I'm not at goal I will have to buy myself something to wear to that. ::snip::
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asscherisme, I hope you have fun tonight...FWIW, I think your planned outfit will be absolutely right on target. Also, a bit off topic, but if you're not quite where you want to be, size wise, by the time this formal event rolls around, I might suggest taking a look at Rent the Runway online. They have a huge range of styles in every formality level of dress, and it's a pretty reasonable service. I'm a big proponent of not adding to the amount of clothing that heads to landfills every year, so I think this is a great option...especially when you're in transition!
 
I would say most definitely, but then again I am the kind of guy who goes to a formal event wearing black jeans and a tuxedo t shirt :lol: :mrgreen:
 
jordyonbass said:
I would say most definitely, but then again I am the kind of guy who goes to a formal event wearing black jeans and a tuxedo t shirt :lol: :mrgreen:
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That would be considered dressy where I live!!
 
Update: I fit right in with how I dressed. Women ranged from dressing similar to me to full on dressed up. My table of 10 had one other woman wearing jeans and a third woman in a casual dress. The first few minutes I admit I was surveying the room to see if I was dressed appropriately and then after that, I felt comfortable and had a nice evening. And I was right, the teens were dressed fancier than the parents for the most part. Especially the teen girls. My daughter was definitely dressed fancier than me :)
 
Glad it all worked out! I'm late to the thread but agree that sometimes the terminology of "business casual" to "dressy casual" to "wedding attire" seems to mean different things to different people. I always just made sure husband and I were dressed in the same manner so at least I wouldn't be the only one that missed the theme. haha! Hope ya'll had fun!
 
Also late to the party but wanted to chime in that incomprehensible dress code labels are one of my pet peeves. Dressy Casual? Seriously?! That should be listed as an example in the dictionary definition of oxymoron. Were they worried that if they didn't give this directive that people would show up in pajamas?
 
Asscherisme I am glad you were appropriately dressed and felt comfortable and enjoyed the evening! Good for you in taking the time to do the research and wear what would work for you and the event.

Maria D said:
Also late to the party but wanted to chime in that incomprehensible dress code labels are one of my pet peeves. Dressy Casual? Seriously?! That should be listed as an example in the dictionary definition of oxymoron. Were they worried that if they didn't give this directive that people would show up in pajamas?
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Haha YES! Exactly. "Dressy- Casual" It is an oxymoron and doesn't make sense to me either. Seriously if you give people free reign re events and dress code don't be surprised at what they come up with to wear LOL. We attended a black tie (optional) gala at the Museum of Natural History on a Saturday night and OMG there were some women who were dressed IMO very inappropriately. I mean honestly if they were walking certain areas in the city I would have thought they were ladies of the evening (not sure that is the term but you probably get my drift). Now the last time this gala took place it was not Black Tie optional but Black Tie period and almost everyone was appropriately dressed.

Of course none of this matters but it is fun to think about and I won't lie. I enjoyed some of the more colorful outfits from that evening. :lol::halo:
 
Maria, YES, they probably were worried people would show up in pajama pants or sweats! Seriously! It was a banquet It was for parents and teens. As I said, my daughter who attended with my son and me was dressed fancier than me and many of the moms. I was appropriate in jeans. My son wore black pants and a polo and he was fine too.

Missy, my daughter told me that a lot of girls were turned away from prom because they were dressed as you described. This even after the school sent out very specific prom dress guidelines to avoid inappropriate dress. When we were shopping for prom dresses I felt like a prude because I was really surprised at how inappropriate a lot of dresses were for teens. Luckily my daughter had the same reaction as me!
 
I remember a lengthy discussion at work about an after hours event and business attire wouldn't be required. "Casual" seemed appropriate but people had lots of examples of people thinking casual meant anything but business attire and people would show up in yoga pants and gym shorts with the boom in athleisure wear, or the ripped and distressed denim that has been trendy. Hence "dressy casual" despite the oxymoron.
 
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