Genuine question: does an expandable waistband count as appropriate dinner attire? In 2024, it’s not that bizarre a query. On Instagram, the fashion is for cool Scandi girls eating small plates in laid-back separates. We’ve barely got the hang of dressing for work again. Our lives are a sliding scale of casualness that, in the face of a real dress code, leaves us genuinely baffled, bereft or resistant. Slap a jacket mandate on a menu and you’d swear our civil rights had been revoked. “The dress code has been all but dead,” says Natasha Sherling, a jewellery designer. “At the very least, we have forgotten that dressiness and comfort needn’t be mutually exclusive.”
What happened? “Dress codes relaxed due to Covid and outdoor dining so the last while has been a slight case of anything goes,” says the restaurant writer Ciara McQuillan, who notes how some Dublin hotspots are taking a lead from New York by leaning into specifics such as business-casual or a ban on sports attire.
Indeed, dressing for dinner is an art: one that we’ve all but lost, it seems.
Subliminally, we dress to match the venue we’re going to. If a restaurant is buzzy and stylish, with a good ambiance, our attire will rise to the occasion. “If you go to Shanahan’s on the Green it’s a twinset and pearls brigade, it’s more old school, as are the clientele … Contrasted with somewhere like Allta … the bar, the location, the decor screams New York on a Friday night and people are dressing to match,” McQuillan says. Nowadays, there is a palpable division between a post-work bite and a special night out that requires effort. Indeed, it’s not unusual to turn down a midweek reservation at a top venue as it would feel wasted, saving the occasion for a Saturday: it’s the equivalent of eating out-out (and dressing to match).
What are people wearing to dinner now? Classic tailoring is a failsafe, advises the personal stylist Jess Colivet (@jesscolivet). “An elegant trouser suit, from a brand like LK Bennett or Claudie Pierlot, with a camisole or pussy-bow blouse, can be worn a multitude of ways,” she says. Opt for an elongating flared-leg trouser and wear it with a pointed-toe heel à la Victoria Beckham. “You’ll grow a foot in height,” Colivet says.
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Fine dining venues such as Restaurant Patrick Guilbauld or Glovers Alley provide specific dress codes upon booking. Big nos tend to be shorts, open-toe shoes and trainers. The general consensus is that no matter how trendy — or costly — they still don’t fit the bill for an upscale brasserie. Divisively (or perhaps welcomingly) Colivet warns men against the dangers of brown dress shoes and jeans. “Go for a chocolate brown suede loafer. It’s more luxurious and continental,” she says. For casual dining, the only thing off the table is gym gear. “Even if a venue doesn’t specify, it may be frowned upon,” McQuillan notes.
Sherling believes cocktail jewellery is a thing. “By day, a diamond brooch can make you look like a member of the royal family. At night you can put it on the lapel of a blazer, or the strap of a dress, and it becomes infinitely cooler,” she says. (Delightfully, older diamonds were cut to have maximum sparkle in candlelight.) For inspiration, she cites the film director Sofia Coppola’s masculine-feminine combination of white shirts and ballet flats, worn with sculptural pieces. And if your references are less Coppola and more Scorsese — and your hotspot of choice has chequered tablecloths and does a mean ragu — then let the mob wife aesthetic guide you towards a statement faux-fur jacket.
As for shoes? Pointed-toe kitten heels have a French feel. Equally, mary-janes with a block heel are an alternative to vertiginous stilettos. “When you’re slightly taller you stand with a bit more confidence,” Colivet says. Shearling echoes this. “Victoria Beckham once said that it��s all about the extra half an inch that makes the difference — whether it’s your hemline or your heel height. That’s the thing with dressing up for night-time, it should just be your normal style — but elevated,” she says.
“Dining out is where an interesting top half comes into play: a strong shoulder, interesting textures, big chandelier earrings that people see as you move and talk. Cocktail rings that catch the light when you talk with your hands or as you pick up your wine glass,” Sherling says. Eschew a necklace and opt for a bold earring combined with an interesting neckline. The 18ct white gold diamond bow earrings with freshwater pearls are €1,245; natashasherling.ie
Máire Flynn, owner of the Tannery in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, notes how clientele are dressing up again by wearing neon shades and bright colours. A decadent shirt dress in zinging yellow can wow at dinner but equally be dressed down for daytime. This one in devoré satin by Emilia Wickstead is in classic midi length, €785; theoutnet.com.
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Divine inspiration: the Erdem pre-spring 2024 collection embraced the hallmarks of debutante dressing with diaphanous dresses that spoke to 1950s romance accessorised with brooches, pearl-drop earrings and kitten heels emblazoned with bows. Shop the brand at erdem.com and Brown Thomas
Cream suiting is the last word in cool. Make like a 1970s Diane Keaton in this one in cream Italian cotton from LK Bennett’s Ascot collection. The waistcoat is €276,the wide-leg trousers are €276, and the matching jacket, not shown, is €432, at LK Bennett stores and lkbennett.com
Jewellery for men? Yes, really. “A brooch is no different to wearing cufflinks,” Sherling says. “However, Irish men are tentative because they’re terrified of the slagging.” See Cillian Murphy on the Oscars red carpet wearing a bespoke 18ct gold brooch by the Hong Kong brand Sauvereign and the musician turned creative director at Louis Vuitton menswear Pharrell Williams.
