Complicated dress codes confuse summer party guests

Megan Scruggs had a specific vision for her May wedding in Bristol, Rhode Island: a “Met Gala” dress code.

“I wanted my wedding to be really unique, and I had never heard anyone use that term for a dress code,” Scruggs, 29, told The Post. “I wanted people to know that going all out was highly encouraged.”

Instead, she admitted, the decree simply seemed to confuse guests.

“I was trying to have fun and do something that no one else had done, but people were so stressed,” the Los Angeles-based content creator said. “They were like, ‘We need direction.’”

Indeed, guests at parties and weddings this summer are struggling to decipher creative dress codes that sometimes seem like a jumble of words.

A month ago, Joseph, a 32-year-old marketing communications professional who lives on the Upper East Side, attended a destination wedding where the dress code was summer cocktail but black tie was welcome.

“They’re completely different dress codes,” complained Joseph, who asked not to reveal his name for fear of not being invited next time. “Black tie” is so simple to me, and so is “summer cocktail.” Combining the two seemed like an oxymoron.

He tried to do some research online, but to no avail. I searched Google, but I can assume I didn't find anything useful, he said. I couldn't find a middle ground between the two.

Once he got to the wedding, he realized he wasn't the only one confused. It was the only topic of conversation, said Joseph, who ended up wearing a beige jacket with a navy J. Crew shirt and navy pants.

Cameron Forbes, an event planner in New York and the Hamptons, said she’s seeing increasing confusion around dress codes. She’s recently worked on events with themes like “1950s Prom,” “Coastal Chic,” “Pink Cocktail” and “Nancy Meyers Meets Wyoming.”

“We’re seeing a lot of formal summer attire, which is really confusing for people,” Forbes said. “There’s black summer attire, summer cocktail attire, summer chic, garden party chic. We had an event in June that had coastal attire.”

She's hosting an upcoming event in the Hamptons with a “retro garden party” theme.

“It’s ’80s themed, but it’s also outdoors,” Forbes says.

For such whimsical visions, she asks her clients to help their guests understand by adding a detailed description and, sometimes, even a visual style guide with photos.

If you don't, it's just a jumble of words.

Lexie Hall, co-founder of Follow the Bride, a wedding content company, also recommends brides add a photo-based style guide to their website.

People might think it’s controlling, but I think guests like it, said Hall, who notes that a current trend is to ask guests to adhere to a wardrobe color palette that complements the party’s decor. “They want to be told what to do.”

Fashion brand Svarini threw a party in New York last week with the dress code “red carpet royal core.”

“For reference, think James Bond meets Bridgerton,” a brand representative explained on Tick ​​Tock“Corsets, 2000s, sequins, glitter…dazzling black tie.”

Guests respected the necklines, sequins and cinched waists, and designer Sheel Yerneni was thrilled with the result.

“A cool dress code like this creates an immersive atmosphere at the event,” she said. “It also brings out a lot of personality in the attendees.”

Social media influencer Christina Tinx Najjar was recently a bridesmaid at a wedding where the dress code was “coastal countryside: blue, red or pink.”

She said she rose to the challenge with flying colours and her floral brocade midi dress by Markarian pulled it off perfectly.

“I personally like to have a little bit of showmanship,” she told the Post. “Is there anything better than having a successful fashion show, other than seeing your dear friend get married, of course?”

Met Gala bride Scruggs ultimately sent out invitations requesting “black tie optional” but with the added specification that “evening dress is required” after her sisters-in-law asked if they could wear summer dresses to the black tie optional event.

Finally, his guests showed up in dark suits and often in long, jewel-toned dresses.

“I wish my friends would wear pink suits or something more daring from the girls,” she said. “I wanted it to be fabulous, but with the new dress code, it was just formal.”