双语阅读 古怪着装
When Houston socialite Becca Cason Thrash sent out a save-the-date announcement for her June gala benefiting the American Friends of the Louvre, she described the dress code as 'high black tie.' The result: A flurry of calls from around the world, as mystified guests asked her what they were supposed to wear.

When she followed up with an official invitation, it said simply, 'black tie.'

In recent years, party hosts have made dress-code descriptions ever more creative, trying to set a lively tone or keep their bashes from sounding run-of-the-mill. It's no longer unusual to receive an invitation prescribing a dress code of 'wild chic,' 'beach formal,' 'resort dressy,' 'international,' 'festive,' 'creative black tie' or 'safari chic.' Now, there's a backlash brewing, with many hosts returning to simple, clear instructions -- both for their guests' sanity and for their own.

'I didn't have time to hold someone's hand and walk through their closet with them,' says
Mrs. Thrash, who had intended 'high black tie' to convey that women should wear high-glamour gowns, rather than little black dresses with a strand of pearls.

Even some professional party planners, who are often hired for their inventiveness, now steer clear of creative instructions. The turning point for Mary Fanizzi Krystoff, an event planner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., came a few years ago, when she made the dress code on the invitation for a Ferrari event read 'Ferrari Hot.' She thought it sounded exciting. But, she says, 'I was barraged by emails and phone calls from hundreds of guests asking for further clarification.'

Now, Ms. Fanizzi Krystoff is much more specific -- to the point of spelling out details in the style of a disclaimer. One invitation for an outdoor wine auction reads: 'Cocktail Attire (shoes appropriate for lawn setting).'

She says, 'I would much rather throw a party and receive 25 calls after, saying, 'What a great party that was,' than [get] 25 calls beforehand asking, 'What does this mean?''

The return to clear instructions is greeted with some relief by Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post. Once, hosts issuing creative instructions might have thought guests would welcome their liberation from strict formal attire. But the range of options can often be 'more frustrating rather than helpful for the invited,' says Ms. Post, who is an author and spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute of etiquette specialists in Burlington, Vt.


Good manners require a host to make guests feel comfortable, not insecure, she says, adding: 'You can be creative, but be clear.'

New York society writer Debbie Bancroft thinks an invitation she received for an event tied to the Beijing Olympics got the balance right. 'It's as simple as black and white,' read the invitation, which came inside a clear plastic box filled with black and white M&Ms. 'You just knew you'd feel bad if you were wearing orange,' she says.

Not every host achieves that effect. 'How to decode the language at the bottom of the invi
tation is a conversation a lot of people are having -- and not always so flatteringly,' says Park Avenue socialite Gayle Perkins Atkins. She serves on various boards, including those of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and she often helps coordinate benefits. She now sticks with 'black tie' for formal events and 'cocktail attire' for events held at cocktail hour. 'I don't believe in 'black tie optional' or 'creative black tie,'' she says, with audible disgust. 'You don't have to have all this verbal embellishment. Why can't you just say 'no tie' or 'jackets only'?'

The range of options can be particularly tricky for men, she notes. 'It causes unnecessary conversations between husbands and wives, often at the event. 'You made me wear black tie, and I didn't have to.''

When Daniel Yu was invited to a company party early this summer, the invitation read 'dressy resort attire.' The 23-year-old financial analyst had no idea what that meant -- and neither did the co-workers he polled informally at the electric utility he works for in Rosemead, Calif.

Mr. Yu decided to dress casually, in a white camp-style shirt, trousers and driving loafers with no socks. But he also brought along a blazer, a tie and dress shoes, in case it turned out he was dressed inappropriately. When he got to the lobby of the hotel where the party was held, he checked out the crowd and decided he wouldn't have to change after all. On
e manager was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

For Claire Sulmers, a 27-year-old fashion blogger in New York, the stumper was an 'international' dress code. She thought she was playing it safe with a classic look -- a wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg in muted colors. But when she arrived, she felt 'slightly under-dressed,' as she mingled with men in European-cut suits and women in celebrated designers' gowns.

The word 'festive' has its own pitfalls, notes Carol Brodie, chief luxury officer of consulting firm Bespoke Branding. She has had folks show up for 'festive' affairs in jeans and T-shirts. She still uses the term -- expecting guests to add some holiday color, for instance -- but she offers other guidance. 'I prefer 'festive cocktail' or 'festive black tie' to maintain a certain type of attire,' she says.
Some veteran hosts and hostesses note that the party venue and the style of the invitation should send clear signals on how to dress. For Gotham magazine's anniversary party, held earlier this year at the Rainbow Room in New York, the invitations came in ivory envelopes with the words done in calligraphy. 'It was almost like a wedding invitation,' says Jason Binn, chief executive and founder of Niche Media LLC, which publishes the magazine. No dress-code description was necessary, he adds.

But even a grand setting like the Louvre in Paris, where Mrs. Thrash held her recent event, doesn't guarantee that all guests will dress appropriately. Some women showed up
at the gala in short dresses and pantsuits. 'Some of the interpretations were not what I was hoping for,' Mrs. Thrash says.

休斯敦社交名媛贝卡•卡森•斯拉希(Becca Cason Thrash)为“美国卢浮宫之友机构”筹办一次慈善捐款宴会时，事前通知上的着装规定是“高尚的正式礼服”。结果招来了世界各地无数的电话，迷惑不解的客人纷纷询问到底应该穿什么。

斯拉希随后发正式请柬时，着装规定被简化为“正式礼服”。

近几年来，派对主办者们的着装规定变得越来越富有创造性，力图营造一种活泼的口吻，或者使自己的派对听上去与众不同。很多新奇的着装规定已经变得十分常见，如“狂野的时
髦”、“海滩正装”、“考究度假装”、“国际化服装”、“节日服装”、“创意正式礼服”或“时髦猎装”。不过现在又出现一种返璞归真的趋势，很多派对主办者重新回归简单而明确的着装规定，既节省了客人的脑细胞，也节省了主办者的脑细胞。

“我没有时间拉起客人的手，陪他们到各自的衣橱里挑选衣服。” 斯拉希表示。她曾经想用“高尚的正式礼服”传递一个意图：女士应穿着高雅的晚礼服，而不是黑连衣裙配珍珠项链。

即使是专业派对策划人，现在也和新奇的着装规定划清了界限，虽然人们雇用他们通常就是看中了他们的创意。佛罗里达州罗德岱堡的活动策划人玛丽•法尼兹•克里斯多夫(Mary Fanizzi Krystoff)的态度转变发生在几年前。当时，她为法拉利公司的活动想出这样的着装规定：“法拉利式的火辣”，她本以为这是个令人兴奋的着装规定，结果是：“我成了和电话的轰炸目标，数百名客人希望我进一步解释着装规定。”

现在，克里斯多夫的着装规定变得非常明确，用免责声明般的风格指出着装细节。她为一
个户外葡萄酒拍卖会撰写的邀请函写道：“鸡尾酒服(鞋子应适合草坪环境)。”
glamour
克里斯多夫表示：“我宁愿在派对结束后收到25个电话惊叹：‘真是一个了不起的派对’，也不愿意在派对开始前收到25个电话询问：‘着装规定到底是什么？’”

着装规定回归明确，使艾米莉•波斯特(Emily Post，译者注：美国礼仪专家)的玄孙女安娜•波斯特(Anna Post)感到一丝欣慰。她表示，派对主办者们过去可能以为，新颍的着装规定能够赋予客人摆脱刻板正装的自由，赢得客人的欢迎。但过于宽泛的选择空间却使客人烦恼图加，没有任何帮助。波斯特是一名作家，同时兼任佛蒙特州伯灵顿市礼仪研究机构“艾
米莉•波斯特研究所”的发言人。

波斯特还表示，按照礼仪，主办者应该让客人感觉舒适，而不是感到不自信。“你可以使用富有创意的着装规定，但必须清晰明确。”她补充道。

纽约社交作家戴比•班克罗夫特(Debbie Bancroft)认为，她收到的一个与北京奥运会相关的活动邀请就在创造性和明确性之间取得了良好的平衡。邀请函写着：“就像黑和白一样简单明了。”邀请函是装在一个透明的塑料盒子里，里面满是黑和白的巧克力豆。班克罗夫特说：“你马上就明白了，如果身穿一身橘黄，肯定不对头。”

不过并不是每一位主办者的着装规定都能收到如此良好的效果。纽约公园大道上的社会名流格尔•帕金斯•阿特金斯(Gayle Perkins Atkins)就表示：“很多着装规定都会引来议论：到底应该怎样解读邀请函底端的这行字呢？这些议论可不都那么好听。” 阿特金斯同时任职于多家委员会，其中包括纽约大都会博物馆和纽约探访护士机构的委员会。她时常协助组织慈善活动，对于正式场合的活动，阿金斯特一贯采用“正式礼服”，鸡尾酒会则全部使用“鸡
尾酒服”。她不无厌恶地表示：“我从来不用什么‘随意正式礼服’或‘创意正式礼服’。没有必要搞这种辞藻修饰，为什么不直接告诉大家‘不打领带’或者‘只穿夹克’呢？”

对于男人来说，选择服装更是一道难题，阿特金斯表示：“在活动现场，服装选择经常造成夫妻发生毫无必要的争论：‘你非让我穿正式礼服来，其实根本没这个必要。’”

今年初夏，丹尼尔•于(Daniel Yu)受邀参加一个公司派对，邀请函上写着“考究的度假盛装”。这位23岁的金融分析师被搞得一头雾水，只好向好几位同事请教，结果这些在加利福尼亚罗斯密德市电力公司工作的人们也搞不清是什么意思。

丹尼尔决定穿休闲装，上身一件白的野营风格衬衫，配裤子和驾车便鞋，不穿袜子。为了预防衣着不得体，他又带了一件休闲西装、一条领带和一双西装鞋。到达举办派对的酒店大堂后，丹尼尔看了一眼四周，决定不需要换装，因为一名经理穿的是夏威夷花衬衫。

27岁的纽约时尚博客作者克莱尔•萨默尔斯(Claire Sulmers)却是被“国际化服装”的着装规定难倒的。她以为一身经典行头会很保险──一件由黛安•冯•芙丝汀宝(Diane von Furstenberg)设计的暗裹身裙。但是到达活动地点以后，萨默尔斯感觉自己穿的“有点不够隆重”，因为她身边的男士都穿着欧洲式剪裁的西装，女士则身着出自名师之手的晚礼服长裙。

顾问公司Bespoke Branding的首席奢侈官卡罗•布罗迪( Carol Brodie)表示， “节日”一词也会带来特有的麻烦。她的客人曾经穿着牛仔裤和体恤衫就来参加“节日装”的活动。现在当布罗迪希望客人为服装增加一些节日彩时，她依然会使用“节日”一词。但她会补充其它要求。她说：“我喜欢用‘节日的鸡尾酒装’或‘节日的正式礼服’，使服装风格保持为某一特定类型的盛装。”布罗迪表示。

一些老练的主办者深知，活动举办地和邀请函的风格也可以传达清晰的信号，使人们了解如何着装。《Gotham》杂志的年度派对今年年初在纽约彩虹屋餐厅(Rainbow Room)举行，邀请函被装在乳白的信封里，字体则选用书法体。“几乎就是婚礼的邀请函。” Niche Media传媒公司创始人兼首席执行官杰森•宾(Jason Binn)评论道，《Gotham》杂志就是由该公司出版的。他补充说：不需要再写出着装规定了，。

不过即使活动举办地拥有富丽堂皇的环境，比如斯拉希最近在巴黎卢浮宫举办的宴会，也不能保证所有的客人都穿着得体。一些女士穿着短裙或裤装就来了。她说：“一些人对着装规定的理解能力并不如我所愿。”

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