A Dress A Day: Black Tie Optional Dress (Day 19)

Floral Maxi Dress | Black Calf Hair Clutch (also has a crossbody strap!) | Valentino Rockstud Heels (and $80 dupes)| Black Sunglasses (only $55!) | Motto Bracelets here and here | Black Statement Earrings | Lipstick in ‘Bawse’

So you got another wedding invitation. It’s perfectly sealed, the calligraphy is on point, maybe even a little gold foiled, and the venue is a dream. You read through the love-drunk invitation and see “Black Tie Optional” listed for attire. You freeze. WTF does that mean? You’re telling me what you want me to wear but then are making it optional? WTF.

Or maybe it doesn’t happy that way. Maybe one of your guy friends texts you last minute and says “got plans this weekend? Wanna bet date to a wedding?” Excited about this adventure and the possibility of breaking it down on the dance floor, you say yes. He tells you it’s Black Tie Optional. And you stop. Asking him what he’s wearing isn’t going to help. You can’t translate his pants-and-button-down-with-or-without-a-tie into girl wardrobes. I got you.

Figuring out what to wear to a wedding seems to be a pretty regular struggle during summer. One of the trickiest attires is Black Tie and Black Tie Optional. There are so many ways to play that game. I always feel like the bride is secretly just messing with you. Or she’s not blunt enough to just tell you to fancy yourself up. Bless her heart. It’s basically Black Tie but without a little added freedom to express yourself fashion wise. Get a little creative (but not too creative). Today’s dress is a safe bet for both. It’s formal enough for multiple types of events and as always, I love pieces that have longevity. It’s a more bold statement so I’d recommend this for “optional” unless you know you’re not going to an extremely traditional wedding.

Now let’s talk about the dress. It’s surprisingly lightweight and flattering too. I caught myself wishing we had weddings on the calendar this summer after wearing it! Since the print is so vibrant, you can get away with wearing it to a wedding with standard attire as well. Just be warned, you may win “best dressed” from the other guests which is never a bad thing!

Here are a few more dresses perfect for a Black Tie Optional wedding at different price points for y’all! Note that you can also wear this pastel blue wrap dress from day 8!

Since there are so many colors in this dress, I wore my go to accessories: black on black. I’ve talked about why I love these Valentino heels so many times (also seen here, here, and here). It goes to show you how often I wear them. The CPW (cost per wear) is one of my favorite metrics to talk about. It’s the cost of the item divided by the number of times you wear it. The CPW of these shoes is right in line with my shoes that cost $100-$200. And they’ve held up better so eventually, it will be even lower. The goal is to have low CPWs! If the investment doesn’t make sense for you right now, here are some pretty good dupes!

Do you have a Black Tie Optional wedding coming up this summer? What are you planning to wear?

PS. Don’t forget to shop the Nordstrom Half Yearly sale! And as a reminder, you can see all of the dresses from this A Dress A Day series here! Or there’s a list below!

• Date Night (Day 1) 
• Bridal Shower (Day 2) 
• Everyday Work Dress (Day 3)
• Wedding Guest (Day 4)
• Garden Party (Day 5)
• Little Black Dress (Day 6)
• Picnic (Day 7)
• Bridesmaid (Day 8)
• Winery (Day 9)
• Brunch (Day 10)
• Party (Day 11)
• Baseball (Day 12)
• Dinner on a Patio (Day 13)
• Memorial Day (Day 14)
• Beach Cover Up (Day 15)
• Vacation Dress (Day 16)
• Girls Night Out (Day 17)
• Bride To Be (Day 18)