What to Wear, and What Not to Wear, to the Office Party

I was listening to the radio while driving recently and picked up the Caplis/Silverman show in Denver. Their guests were two women, Judy and Evelyn; I cannot recall their last names. But these two women have written a fashion how-to book of some sorts, and I believe they have a weekly fashion column.

Anyways, I'd like to summarize the advice and information that these two women shared on the air, regarding what to wear at an office party; office party attire.

It is not good taste for a woman to dress "sexy" at an office party. Both women concurred that at every big office party, at least one woman is wearing a low-cut, mini-high dress of sequins. In addition to that, at every office party are a percentage of women who are dressed just too sexy. Judy and Evelyn said this is never appropriate.

Studies have shown that when a woman dresses in a classy, dressy pantsuit, she is more likely to be perceived as having a management position. For the record, why would you wear a pantsuit for this reason, when all your co-workers already know what position you have with the company -- unless you want your co-workers' spouses and significant others to think you're in management?

It never hurts a man to bring with him a trophy date to office parties. Also, if a man is not sure what to wear (invitations can range from saying "casual," to "informal" to "black tie optional"), he can never go wrong if he simply wears a black suit, white shirt, and a red tie. In fact, at office parties, it's best for men to always wear dark suits.

Women can wear either the pantsuits, or a classy-style dress. The goal of both genders is not to stand out from the collective appearance of the office crowd. Judy cited the case of one woman who stood out inappropriately because she wore a full-length mink to an office party. Then Dan Caplis joked and said that only psychics should attend these parties. And he had a point. Because how will you know what the collective appearance and wardrobe will be?

Nevertheless, try to figure it out, and then dress to fit right in. The idea is to show that you are part of a team, a team player.