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| Friday, 26 March 2004 |
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Cocktails! Does it mean you can be seen dressed to kill at these early evening rendezvous? by Prasad Abu Bakr. It is a regular sight to see guests walk-in to early evening cocktails in their office attire as most of them do not find enough time to go home for a change and besides the fact that most of them tend to end as early as they have begun. But there are the 'Cocktails and Dinner' type of events that calls for some attention to be placed upon the kind of clothes one will show-up in to grace the occasion, as dinner is involved it is only natural that cocktails will be served at least until late evening before dinner is served. Most of these events call for smart casual kind of attire, so what you will see around most of the time are men in short sleeved smart shirts worn out side and women in a variety of out-fits that can fit in to the smart casual range. Sleeveless dresses with short hemlines necessarily in black will top the list, a few trouser and tops or worn as suites will also be sported around. It is however evident that most people tend to dress-up for the entire evening, meaning going out night clubbing or with a view of ending up at a discotheque when the respond to a cocktails and dinner invitation. But if the invitation is for cocktails and dinner as starter to a extended events such as annual dinner dances, company get-togethers etc; which can run into the wee hours of the morning then it will call for more formal wear to be donned by both sexes. There are also cocktail parties hosted merely for fun, set to a theme and the invitation will indicate a mode of dressing to be followed. In such cases it is only fair that guests adhere to the request made by the host, as most of the time you will find that the host has gone through the tedious effort of trying to create an ambience to fit the topic involved. For example if the guests are called upon to wear sarong-shirt or reddha-hetta combinations then you are sure to find the place decorated with temple flowers, clay lamps and will be served with cocktails described with local names such as 'Dutugemunu' named after the brave prince of the past or some other exotic names. So if one is not dressed according to the request mentioned in the invitation then you are going to feel a bit out of place so it is advisable to follow the rules. For example, I myself was a guest at a cocktail party hosted by a leading travel agent sometime back. the invitation called to be attired in an out-fit for partying in the Bahamas. So it was, young, sprightly girls served welcome drinks in coconut shells adorned in straw skirts and garlands of flowers (sported over T-Shirts of course). Bare-bodied waiters served cocktails laced with either Rum, Gin or Tequila, even the food was prepared in open hearths of fire in clay pots and utensils. Fresh water fish baked wrapped in banana leaves, barbecued sea-food and other kinds of grills together with a variety of fresh salads and fresh fruit preparations were on the cards to keep the guests sumptuously full. As a token of appreciation of your attendance to the event a photograph of your self taken at the entrance was handed over to you mounted on re-cycled paper decorated with colourful tropical motifs. So you see there are various forms of cocktails that you can get invited to, some you can attend dressed up leisurely in your own style of clothes but there are those few that will expect you to go slightly over the top, steering away from your usual style. It is interesting to try them out at least to add a new lease of life, in the weekend, as an end to the busy office schedule you have been putting up with through out the week. Happy partying! |
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