For Dress Codes, Use This Book! - "Magic Rules Chosen by Top-Tier High-End Clients"

Hello, this is Panda Gorogoro.
I have several books that I rely on for different topics, and the one I'd like to introduce today is the book I use when checking dress codes.

A guide to dress codes

The title of the book is "Magic Rules Chosen by Top-Tier High-End Clients, Taught by a Former Tiffany VIP Representative," and the author is Mutsuko Takano.
She is someone who transitioned from being a flight attendant at JAL (Japan Airlines) to working at Tiffany, where she was in charge of high-end (wealthy) clients.
After that, she became independent and now runs human resource development projects as the representative of "HEC High-End Communication."

Looking only at the title, you might think it's a romance guide for young girls who want to marry into wealth.
Certainly, there are elements of that, but this book can be used in a much more practical way.
That is, as I wrote in the title, a guide to dress codes.

In this day and age, formal things are steadily decreasing, and everything has become uniformly casual.
Tradition and formality are being pushed to the back burner, and individual preferences are being prioritized.

This in itself is by no means a bad thing, but if it goes too far, troublesome problems arise.
Everyone is living without knowing traditions, customs, or formality, so when the time comes, they don't know what to do.

A memory of panicking over a dress code

I also have a memory of panicking over a dress code.
It happened one day when my family went out for a meal to celebrate something.
Because I had booked the hotel's main dining room, my daughter and I coordinated our outfits and spent more time than usual on our hair and makeup, getting all dressed up with enthusiasm.

When we arrived at the restaurant entrance on time and were greeted by the staff, he looked at my husband and son and gently asked, "Do you have jackets...?"
I was startled.
I had only been thinking about myself and my daughter, and I had forgotten about my husband and son.
While my daughter and I were wearing dresses with jackets, since it was early summer, the two of them were just wearing short-sleeved shirts and trousers (and they didn't have a single doubt in their minds... ).

To my flustered self, he smiled and said, "We have jackets available here," and brought out two long-sleeved jackets for my husband and son from the back.
Finally seeming to grasp the situation, my husband and son hurriedly put on the borrowed jackets, and we were guided to our reserved table as if nothing had happened.

A hotel's main dining room is a place of high formality.
For male guests, wearing a jacket is the rule.
I was so focused on our own outfits that I completely forgot the obvious fact that the dress code also applies to my husband and son.

Men, with the exception of the very few who are naturally interested in fashion, should be approached by women with the assumption that they are not thinking about dress codes at all. Before leaving the house, be sure to check that your husband and son are
wearing appropriate clothing that matches the destination.

In my own case, when I left it up to my son, he once wore formal wear with navy blue socks.
Black and dark navy are hard to distinguish, so extra caution is needed. Also, if
the socks are too short, when he sits down, his bare leg will pop out from between the hem of his trousers and the sock, which would make even a mother who dotes on her son want to hold her head in her hands, so be careful.

Dress Code Names

Now, let's return to Mutsuko Takano's book and look at the dress code chapter. First, something we must remember is that "if we wear clothing inappropriate for the occasion and stand out,
the ones who will be frowned upon are not us, but the person who invited us." If you don't want to cause the person who invited you to lose face, and if you want to be invited again,
we must choose clothing appropriate for the occasion.

Following this book, I will list the dress code names in order of formality.

・Black Tie... So-called formal attire. For women, an evening dress. For kimono, a homongi. Men wear a tuxedo with a black bow tie.

・Cocktail Attire... For women, a knee-length formal dress. For men, a dark suit with a tie.
・Smart Elegance... For women, a dressy dress. For men, a dark suit in a slightly casual material.
・Casual Elegance... For women, a dress with a jacket. For men, a dark suit.
・Business Attire... Suits for both men and women.
・Smart Casual... For women, a dress or a blouse with a skirt. For men, a jacket. No tie is also acceptable.

It is useful to keep these basics in mind.

To summarize.

Given the current times, you may not have many opportunities to go out, but let's review dress codes while we have the chance.

If you are unsure about the dress code for your destination, it is a good idea to ask the host.

Also, the phrase "Please come in casual attire" that you often see means "You do not need to wear formal attire," so you should attend in "Smart Elegance" or "Casual Elegance" attire.