Semi-Formal in Seattle
A style survey in preparation of tomorrow night’s Neiman Marcus gala
Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Sep 09, 2009 at 07:00AM
2 Comments
Diane von Furstenberg with Steven Kolb of CFDA; universally beloved DVF kinda sets the bar wherever she goes. She can’t be anything but perfect.
View Slideshow » Illustration:NYC nightlife queen Amy Sacco went with something relatively sedate. I like it.
View Slideshow » Illustration:There’s always the Olsen twin approach … what, this old thing?
View Slideshow » Illustration:What it lacks in a strict interpretation of semi-formal wear, it makes up for in good times. Coco Rocha in Michael Kors.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Jason Wu and Diane Kruger, in Jason Wu. I guess I’m old fashioned, but when I look at that dress, I just see short. Mr. Wu’s look, on the other hand, is perfect.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Only when you’re Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan can you be so cute. Should not be attempted by amateurs.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Marc and Lorenzo, proving that there is just nothing wrong with playing by the rules.
View Slideshow » Illustration:God I love Maria Cornejo. The shoes are a statement, for sure, but the dress is right-on. The vintage column number I’m considering for Thursday could be a kissing cousin of this one.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Nadja Auerman; I’m beginning to think that “black tie” actually means “one shoulder.”
View Slideshow » Illustration:Another always-impeccable designer, Rachel Roy, in Rachel Roy.
Tomorrow evening at half-past seven, Seattleites and East Siders will be unfolding themselves from the seats of just-washed cars and entering the opening gala for Neiman Marcus. They will all, let’s hope, be outfitted in semi-formal black-tie attire.
If you’ve been to benefit auctions and charity balls (proceeds from Thursday’s gala will go to Poncho, Overlake Medical Hospital, and Hopelink) in Seattle you’ve seen it all. And, in fact, if you’ve been to benefit auctions and charity balls in the South, for instance, you’ve seen it all and them some - with a giant pile of ruffles, feathers, corsages, and tux tails on the side. Every pocket of the globe has its idiosyncrasies; ours, in terms of dress, happens to be that we prefer to be a little laid back. Generally speaking of course.
There are some of us who love to dress. In the end, black tie simply means semi-formal, and depending on where you stand, there’s room for interpretation there. A black-tie fundraiser for juvenile leukemia suggests one set of expectations, while a celebration with an arts benefactor suggests another, no? And when one’s in winter and the other’s in summer? Hoping to come up with warm-season, fashion-world definition of semi-formal, I turned to the trusty style.com and referenced their coverage of the CFDA awards this past June. I pulled some of my favorite examples off the site and arranged them in a slideshow here.
And then I surveyed some actual Seattleites about their plans.
About her expectations, one said I have high hopes for this event to be a real “black tie” but am also prepared to be disappointed and to see people in jeans. Did she get something new, or is she recycling? I will be wearing my classic black Audrey Hepburn-esque Prada cocktail dress, she answered. I wore it to the Nordstrom Designer Preview in 2008 and it is time to bring it back. I will pair it with Miu Miu dragonfly shoes and a vintage Fredrick and Nelson evening bag.
Another had a black Versace at the ready, but couldn’t help ponder something she’d seen recently at Barneys. On the other hand, she’s just returned from a visit home – east, east of the mountains – and half-jokingly suggested she’d wear the dress with the cowboy boots she’d worn on a ten-day cattle drive. Half-jokingly, folks. C’mon.
A necessary accessory for all black-tie events: A sense of humor.
One of my respondents, a former employee of Neiman Marcus – in the South no less – said this, Black tie means black tie; you put on a tux if you are a guy – and if you are a gal, it can be short or long, but cocktail or formal dress. I think short works best this time of year.
Joan Kelly, was, of course, only to happy to let me know what she had planned. She’s recycling a great Peter Cohen gown, long, thin, thin wool jersey cut on the Bias with great jewelry, a great bag and the fab shoe. She makes a good point: a killer clutch and beautiful shoes elevate just about anything. Which is not to say that I want you to show up in denim, no matter how nice your shoes are.
Others I surveyed were daydreaming about vintage and Halston, and zippering themselves into custom-made Luly Yang cocktail frocks.
What am I wearing? Funny you should ask. In the middle of typing this, I set down my morning coffee and tried on the vintage, one-shoulder full-length I’d been planning on. Yesterday afternoon my friend Alvin and I had discussed me lobbing it off at the knee, (see the Maria Cornejo picture in the slideshow; she was my inspiration) but nah, maybe after I get one or two wears out of all four and a half feet of it.
And you – what will you be wearing?
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For more on the Neiman Marcus opening and the shops at the Bravern, see East Beats West
For more on getting dressed up for fundraisers and galas, see our Snapshots coverage
oh, i wish i had been there! i bet some of seattle’s finest actually turned out in some of THEIR finest! i am usually disappointed by the lack of creativity and chance that most seattlites are willing to take with their wardrobe at such an event, but i’m sure you looked fab! vintage is always a good way to go ;) ps – LOVED (and almost always do love) Maria Cornejo’s black and white!
oh that maria cornejo. genius, right? queen of the low-key understated avant-garde. rocks a white bootie like no one else. but yeah – there were lots of great looking people at NM last night — as a people watcher, i had plenty to do. hell – as a shopper i had plenty to do. it was great to just sip champagne in the marni boutique. i brought the photog from http://21arrondissement.blogspot.com/ with me — and he and i will both post images as soon as possible. and while i’m posting urls … let’s do yours! http://cocokelley.blogspot.com/ your blog is great – am glad you’re reading mine from time to time!