Ladies' attire

It seems to be the time of year for reunions, judging on recent posts by Mr Higgs, and it left me pondering the rules for ladies wear to evening events.

I have to admit, for once in a lady's life, evening dress seems to side with us poor females - whilst the gents of the group must don dinner jackets (don't even try to call them tuxedos...what are you? a stupid American??) and, as Mr Higgs correctly points out, tie your bow tie properly, wear your cumberbund upside-down and look the same as all the other men; the ladies get to shine.

I was looking through my vast array of evening dresses, going from the barely tasteful figure hugging, to the graceful embroidered floor lengths; the simple summer cocktail dresses for Henley and Wimbledon to the Christmas evening frocks, I realised that although we don't have the strict rules to adhere to, we certainly have slight nuances to the appropriate attire, that without, can leave a lady under dressed even at the most casual of the social events.

Take for example, the evening dinner, depending on the hostess and the venue one might wear a floor length with suitable shoulder covering, however if it is a more lively affair, a cocktail dress might be appropriate. This, I've learnt, comes down to judging on experience, to what is acceptable. I imagine in the past the beginners like myself must have been closely scrutinised by the rest of the party, to see if they naturally got it right, for completely missed the boat.
On the other hand, for the outdoor events of the summer season, one must have a head covering of some kind - this harks back to the days when no-one left the house without a hat.
Although the younger ladies will always be daring and wear a simple fascinator, or a collection of feathers in their hair, the "proper" ladies will always wear big hats. No matter how small your hat or fascinator; a hat is a hat, and to go without is a cardinal sin...

**I hope you all realise I have no credentials in this area, and the majority of that was complete bollocks...**

Anyway, I'm not going to be wearing any frocks this season...bin bags will be my attire...Glastonbury ahoy!

Making Wellies and skirts fashionable - Glastonbury 2005