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Black?
White?
Sequins?
By Beth Smith

Time of
day means
everything
when guests
dress./ :or a
wedding.

WENTTO A WEDDING RECENTLY
and found myself seated next to a
young man wearing khaki pants and
an open-collared shirt. Directly across
the aisle from him was an older woman
dressed in a bare-shouldered cocktail outfit
with matching spiked heels. And this was a
noon wedding. What ever happened to the
"special dress" and the dark business suit?
Now, it seems, almost anything goes.
Unfortunately, the old-school rules that
guided who wore what when have faded from
the collective public consciousness. Although
traditionalists still cling to the social wisdom
hammered into them by mothers and grand-
mothers, many people wear pretty much what
they please, or spend hours worrying about
what is appropriate and what isn't.
Wedding planners advise that an engraved
invitation signals a very important event, and
guests should dress accordingly to show re-
spect for the occasion and for the couple.
But what is appropriate? The time of the
wedding is an important cue. "Guests should

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be smart and wear cocktail attire," says Rita
Goldstone, of Sherri's in the Orchard Mall.
Daytime: "Cocktail suits are an excellent
choice and are perfectly safe," adds Ms. Gold-
stone. She also notes that the dressy St. John
knits are fresh and exciting, since the owner's
daughter has been designing the line. It has a
very young look."
Angela Bournias of Cocktails in the Cross-
winds Mall recommends a simple silk or linen
suit.
For men, there is one appropriate outfit for
a traditional daytime wedding — a dark busi-
ness suit with a fairly conservative tie. Navy
blazers with grey flannels are too informal,
unless you happen to be under 20 or still in
college.
After Five: A late afternoon wedding with
a dinner reception calls for something a bit
dressier, especially if you know there will be
dancing. "The magic hour is five o'clock,"
adds nationally known social arbiter Letitia
Baldridge. Brocades, velvets, chiffons, all
types of cocktail dresses, with hems to tea

BRIDES •

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1993 •

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