Evening Attire Has Levels of Preferred Dress

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

My wife and I are going on a trip in order to attend an awards dinner at very nice restaurant. Our invitation states the place, date and time and then says "evening attire." To what level of evening attire should I dress? Would casual with a long sleeve cotton dress shirt and slacks be fine? Or should I wear a sport jacket or suit and tie. I don't own a jacket, so would it be okay to wear a dress shirt and tie, slacks, leather belt and leather shoes?

Signed,

Don't Want to Look Out of Place

Dear Don't,

Evening Attire is normally used in conjunction with the word Casual, Informal, or Formal to indicate the level of dress preferred. For Casual Evening Attire, you could wear a nice shirt and slacks. For Informal Evening Attire, a jacket and tie are recommended. For Formal Evening Attire, a dark suit or tuxedo is preferred.

Since your invitation did not specify the level of attire, you could call the host and ask what the attire should be. If you don't want to call, to be on the safe side, wear a jacket and tie.

There are many special occasions in which a jacket and tie are appropriate such as weddings, funerals, celebrations, or dining out. All men should own at least one nice jacket or sportcoat in a dark color.