How to dress appropriately for an event

Many of us remember when the official announcement came that Rihanna was launching her beauty products here in Kenya. Then there was a lot of buzz around the event and when the day finally came, it was a bit of a flop in terms of fashion.

The viral videos were circulating and sadly, Kenyans weren’t impressed with how the attendees were dressed. That dark past is now behind us and we hope that Rihanna didn’t see those outfits.

The main lesson right now is to know what the dress code expectations are whenever there’s an event coming up. Here are some tips that might save you from an embarrassing style mishap:

You need to first know what type of event you’re about to attend for you to have a rough idea of what to wear. If for example, it’s a fun outdoor festival, you won’t necessarily have to put in as much effort as compared to an awards gala.

If you’re a bit confused, you can simply google how to dress for that particular type of event and see the suggestions that come up.

Some events won’t really mention what you’re supposed to wear and they might leave the option for you to decide for yourselves.

But others will specify that this is an all-white event or that you’re expected to dress in classy evening wear and that is how you can tell.

It’s polite to follow the dress code rules for any event and the fact that they’ve mentioned what you should wear probably indicates that you should put in a good amount of effort.

You should also confirm where an event is meant to take place to guide your outfit choice. If it’s a classy location like a nice hotel, you’re not expected to show up in casual sandals and a lounging outfit.

Even if it’s a casual brunch outdoors, you still need to dress in a way that blends in with the location.

You can loosen up a bit if it’s being held somewhere more relaxed but never assume and downplay your appearance if the occasion is being held somewhere fancy.

If you know that there will be celebrities attending the event, you should probably step up your style game. It means that there will be lots of photos, maybe even interviews or live coverage and it would be completely embarrassing to appear in someone’s timeline looking like a disaster.

Update yourself on any buzz around the event to know who will be attending so that you don’t end up standing out for the wrong reasons.

It’s better to be overdressed than to be underdressed for an event. It might look slightly odd if you’re the only one who dressed up but the opposite of that is far worse.

A tip would be to carry extra accessories like a pair of heels, a nice coat and jewelry that can easily switch up your look if you notice that more people have dressed up.

That way, you’ll be ready for anything.