Women can wear black-tie attire to party

Men's formal wear is the obvious inspiration for the look.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Special occasions require special occasion clothes -- and many people treat New Year's Eve as if it's the biggest, most important night of the year. So, if there's ever an evening to pluck the tuxedo from the back of your closet, this is probably it.
That means women, too.
Tuxedos, or at least "tuxedo-inspired" pieces, have been all over the runways and red carpets as black-tie fashion took a 180-degree turn from embellished glittery gowns to, well, black ties.
Kate Moss and Kate Winslet are among the celebrities photographed in tux looks this year. A recent window-shopping tour of Rockefeller Center, shopping central for the holidays, a twist of the tuxedo was spotted front and center at a half-dozen stores.
It's a style that sees ebbs and flows in popularity but hasn't really completely fallen out of favor since Yves Saint Laurent introduced Le Smoking tuxedo in 1966.
Saint Laurent's Le Smoking was an extension of the revolution he'd started a few years earlier by pushing pants for women, says Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
"YSL helped dress women for the daytime in a much more masculinized style -- to confront men as equals at work," she says. "He took that power look and did his magic on it for evening, doing a sexy Marlene Dietrich in drag. The combination was an androgynous sexy look."
Advice for first-timers
In the 1970s, it was the Studio 54 glitterati, women such as Bianca Jagger, who would dare wear a tuxedo, observes Avril Graham, executive editor of Harper's Bazaar, but it has become a more acceptable form of cocktail and eveningwear for all women in all parts of the country.
Still, she says, women should make an effort to both feminize their outfit and to make it glamorous.
"For those attempting this look for the first time, it goes without saying that the obvious, i.e. the pleated shirt and black bow tie, should be avoided at all costs. Adapt this look to suit your body type. There are great tuxedos out there that cater to all shapes and sizes and are very chic," according to Graham.
When Tom Ford was charged with reinvigorating YSL in 1999, he used the company's archives as guidance and also reinvigorated the brand's signature tuxedo, giving it an even slimmer, sexier fit.
"I think that the reason there is a timeless and constant appeal of a beautiful woman in a tuxedo or even a man's tailored suit is that the hard clean lines of a tuxedo set off the feminine curves and soft beauty of a woman by standing in stark contrast to them," Ford says, "thus making them more apparent, powerful and striking."
The tuxedo can't -- or at least shouldn't -- change too much or it will lose its strong presence, says Steele of FIT. "It's like a traditional riding habit, you don't change it very much unless you're making a statement. ... The beauty of the tuxedo is it's a classic."
Little tweaks
A little tweak is OK, though: FIT has in its collection a very dark blue tuxedo-style dress by YSL that Steele says is stunning.
And, Graham says the recent shift to skinny-leg pants gives the tuxedo an instant update. Her favorite versions come from Chanel, Jil Sander, Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani. Some trendsetters have also dared to wear Dior Homme's slim tuxedos, which really were intended for fashion-forward men.
More accessible brands also see the value of ever-so-slightly changing the black-tie look to meet modern demands.
Viktor & amp; Rolf's collection for Hennes & amp; Mauritz and Ann Taylor Loft both featured many tuxedo details in their holiday collections. In fact, when H & amp;M presented the new line to the press, the company's head of design, Margareta van den Bosch, was in a black tuxedo shirt that was part of the men's collection.
"Men's clothes on women has been strong for us the past few years," van den Bosch says. "It still looks fashionable."
Meanwhile, Ann Taylor Loft aimed to put some of the unique tux touches into an everyday wardrobe. Shari Hershon, senior vice president of design, added tuxedo stripes down the leg of herringbone gaucho pants and on thin-wale corduroys, and around the body of a velvet clutch handbag.
Some of the outfits could be black-tie appropriate, she says, but some could be worn during the day or to an office party. Sweaters with tux pants is a casual look, a chiffon blouse is a dressy one.
Either way, the top, even if worn under a jacket, should be soft to balance the masculinity of the other pieces. "You need to be able to tell there's a woman under there," Hershon says.
Choose for shape
You also need to find the most flattering style for your shape. A curvier woman should choose a wider leg and a strappy platform shoe, Bazaar's Graham advises, but for those who are tall and thin, go for the skinny legs and a high-heel sandal. "This version of a tuxedo can look like a knockout."
But a tuxedo on a woman will never be as fancy as a ballgown. A woman attending a lavish black-tie event probably should opt for something more feminine, Graham says. "It's ironic that 'black-tie event' actually refers only to a black tie for men."
Meanwhile, Hershon recalls wearing a tuxedo to her prom in suburban Michigan back in the '80s -- and she wore it with Lucite wedges.
"Believe me, I was the only girl who wore a tuxedo to West Bloomfield High School. I'll wear one if someone invites me to a party this year. I think they look really great and are really fun. And some days, you don't want to wear a dress. This is less bare."