From hosting to choosing an outfit for a fundraising event can be challenging; it’s especially hard if the invitation doesn’t include any information regarding the dress code. It’s best to look presentable and a person who wholeheartedly supports the particular cause that your community wants to fund raises for.
Charity events like fundraising galas and balls typically require one of the following five types of formal attire. You can use the following guidelines to decipher your formal dress code options for the event and figure out what you’re going to wear.
White Tie
Mens suits are the first thing that comes to mind when you read white tie as a dress code. It’s because a white tie invitation is the most formal invitation out of this list, where both sexes should pay close attention when planning their attire for the night.
A white-tie event is such a grand affair that it would consist of a diplomatic ball, a state dinner, or a formal nighttime wedding. A white tie dress code also has other names, such as “full dress,” “evening dress,” or “full evening dress.” If the event occurred in the morning, it would be called “morning dress” or “full morning dress” instead.
A black tailcoat (either short or waist-length) and black pants should display a single satin stripe. You can pair this with a white bow tie, cummerbund, white vest, or a white wing-collared shirt. You should also have the following essentials:
- Cufflinks
- Black dress socks
- White gloves
- Shirt studs
- Black patent shoes
- classic pocket watch
- Accessories, e.g., pocket watch, boutonniere, or a top hat (optional)
- Braces
Black Tie
These events are a step down in terms of formality from white-tie events. Black tie consists of dress codes in the name of “dinner jacket” or “semi-formal evening dress.” Indeed, black-tie events are still formal affairs, and the typical events are charity balls, movie premiers, evening celebrations, and galas.
You can wear a black tuxedo and pair it with a white pleated front tuxedo shirt when it’s a fall or winter black tie event. In contrast to white tie events, braces, gloves, cummerbunds, gloves, and vests are optional. However, you should still wear the other white tie accessories, just go back to the list above.
On the other hand, if you’re going to a summer or spring black-tie fundraising event, you should wear a white tuxedo jacket instead. You can wear black patent shoes and black dress socks to complete your outfit.
Creative Black Tie
There are some silent auctions and fundraising dinners that are meant for fun, mingling, and fundraising, when you receive an invitation to a creative black tie event, that gives you lots of room to pay with the etiquette rules and express your personality through your outfit.
The key to these events is to add unique and whimsical accessories to transform a once traditional formal attire into a creative one. You can experiment with the current trends today by pairing a printed tie, dress shirt, silk blazer, and pants. If this is out of your comfort zone, you can always wear a traditional black tie look, but swap the colors by using a cardinal red bow tie instead or a white shirt.
Black Tie Optional
The hidden meaning behind a black tie optional event is that men can choose whether to wear a suit or not. However, formal attire is still required. So how can you dress appropriately?
You can dress appropriately by wearing a gray suit or dark navy suit with a white shirt and a solid color tie. The dress shoes and socks should coordinate with the pants’ color.
Semi-Formal
Speaker fundraisers, sit-down dinners, and charity luncheons are typical semi-formal events. Men can wear a grey or navy dress shirt with a dark suit, tie, and dress shirt. A lighter suit is preferable if the event occurs during the day. Ties and vests are optional when it’s these types of events. Lastly, you can finish the look with dress socks that match the color of the leather dress shoes and pants you’ll wear.
Final Thoughts
Practicing and mismatching what you’re going to wear for the fundraising event is the perfect way to prepare for the event. Despite your best efforts, simply thinking of what you’re going to wear can be insufficient. Sometimes you would get it wrong by simply imagining it and show up to a charity event with clothes you don’t feel comfortable in.
Keep practicing and wearing your outfit before the day of the event until you’re confident in arriving at that event with the proper dress. Also, try to relax and not stress too much over your outfit since the event’s main purpose is to raise funds for a cause. Try to maintain a confident outlook and mingle! That can be your best attire.