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