Housewarming party may call for casual dress

Scripps Howard

Q. I moved into my first house last fall and am finally having a housewarming party. A couple of guests have asked me how they should dress. I didn’t think about that. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to wear. Help!

A. Housewarmings usually are casual affairs, so you may want to let guests know that they can dress casually. If you want to inject more fun into the event — and keep some guests from interpreting casual as sloppy — specify creative casual. Or, ask everyone to incorporate a certain color into whatever they wear.

The host or hostess has the job of greeting everyone and making sure the mood is kept upbeat. There are also a multitude of tasks large and small, such as replenishing food, cleaning up spills, etc.

While you want to wear comfortable footwear, aim to dress with a little polish. A hostess can’t go wrong with a pretty skirt or dress slacks with a nice top and ballet flats or a kitten heel. A host usually strikes the right balance in khakis or dress slacks, an open-collar dress shirt or better-quality golf shirt and loafers or dressy sandals.