fashion definitions

social engagements are tricky round here. not so much because i don't know how to act or who to go with, but because of the whole what to wear. yes, i know this is far out of the realm of my expertise. that's where the trouble comes in. there's been far too many times where i've shown up somewhere in the district and been severely under- or overdressed. first time, georgetown waterfront. pretty nice place. how the hell do i know. all i knew is that it was outside, and the weather was nice in the fall. jeans and a polo shirt. wrong. it was the after-work set with their loosened ties and full on suits.

memorial day weekend, i thought i had it made. megan's wedding. invite said hawaiian or beach-y wear. got it. white linen shirt, linen pants, flip flops. wrong. looked too much like the groom. wound up borrowing a shirt.

upcoming, my mom's birthday. the restaurant's website said "casual chic". not even the fashion boss knew what that meant, so a-googling i shall go.

Here's what casual chic usually means: casual, yet with a twist of dressiness. An idea is to wear a DARK wash pair of jeans (express men's has some nice affordable ones), and a nice button down shirt (preferably in a solid color--black, navy blue, and burgundy would be excellent choices). Shoe-wise try to find a nice pair of black dress shoes--nothing shiny or too pointy in the toe region. If nothing is to your liking, go for a pair of black sneakers. To dress the outfit more, throw a blazer on as a jacket. Go with black or tan for this.

ah ha! why not say that? business casual. casual chic. evening wear. black tie optional. do women even know these definitions? men sure don't. how about this: there's two sets of sizing, men & women's, right? why not two sets of attire requirement languages? tell us guys what to wear, uncategorized. jeans and a button-down shirt? done. khakis and boat shoes? lame. coat, no tie? done. flip flops and board shorts? you got it!

emo kid? skinny jeans, tiny t-shirt, scarf, big watch, hair in my face. yeah, about that...