Semi-formal wear

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Semi-formal wear, or half dress, sits between casual and formal. For men today, evening semi-formal means black tie, while day semi-formal means a black lounge suit. Women typically wear a pant suit or an evening gown. Whether you choose morning or evening semi-formal usually depends on the event start time: before 6 pm is daytime; after 6 pm is evening. Other accepted options can include ceremonial outfits, religious attire, national costumes, and military mess dress.

For evening wear after 6 pm, the standard is black tie. In the most formal “white tie” events, color changes in ties are less common because the dress code sticks to tradition as it gets more formal.

Origins: Evening semi-formal dress began in the late 1800s when Edward VII wanted a more comfortable dinner outfit than the swallowtail coat. In spring 1886 at Sandringham, he had a dinner jacket made by Henry Poole & Co. When James Potter wore this style back in New York, it became popular at the Tuxedo Park Club, and the cut came to be known as the tuxedo. From its start through the 1920s, the dinner jacket was acceptable for dining at home or in clubs, while the tailcoat stayed for public appearances.