The London Lounge

Ever been in a situation where you totally misjudged the dress code for an important affair?

Last night I attended a large holiday party at the palatial home of the president of the organization I work for. It was my first such invitation, which I assume came my way because of the higher level of responsibility I assumed this year.

Well, I thought to myself, it's a party at someone's home, so a sports jacket, tie, slacks, and jaunty pocket square will do the trick. Wrong.

I arrived to find every other male, including the host--maybe a hundred guys--wearing dark suits.

My immediate impulse was to feign a migraine and leave. I stuck it out, though, feeling uncomfortable in the extreme but trying to make up for my sartorial gaffe with brilliant conversation. I'm not sure how well I succeeded.

The irony is that if anything, I'm usually the one who's overdressed!

Has anyone ever made a similar error? If so, how did you handle it? Did you acknowledge the misjudgment in any way? Did you bite the bullet and proceed as if nothing was wrong? Did you bail out as soon as possible?

One thing I've learned from this: If there's ever any doubt at all, it's far better to err on the overdressed side.

With hope that a reprise of the painful event may be avoided, one may note that sportcoats and blazers aren't worn after dark -- at least, not in the eastern United States. Standard informal dress after dark is, indeed, a dark suit.

That said, it's doubtful that your own dress made a lasting adverse impact on anyone. After all, this is an expansive season of good cheer!