While her aphorism that “unshined shoes are the end of civilisation” still holds, her advice on black-tie dress code events is less constructive: “The best time to leave a party is when the party’s just beginning. Fresh hell: the unhelpful cipher that simply serves to confuse – “evening”, “business casual”, “hipster formal”, “a touch of glamour” stated in tiny italics – and gives no hint as to what is de rigueur.Įven Diana Vreeland, that legendary arbiter of taste, is no help here. In a world where attire is becoming increasingly casual across the board, dress code dilemmas are ten-a-penny.
As for “black sheep”? It’s easy to feel like one, if you manage to confound a collective decision to dress in a highly unambiguous manner for a terrifyingly specific occasion. It rivals “black hole” with its power to confuse and befuddle. “Black-tie dress code” is up there with “black ice” in the terror stakes.
