Dressing appropriately for the occasion has long been a constant problem among women whenever they receive an invitation for an affair. At the fear of being too overdressed or underdressed, women have been feverishly looking for guides to aid them in this dilemma. While some invitations may not be strict on what attire you should be in, some invitations give specific orders as to what their guests should be garbed in. This makes it more difficult to come up with the proper attire that is called for in the invite.

As an answer to the plight of women everywhere, this guide has been developed to assist you in choosing the appropriate clothing in response to an invitation. This guide gives you the basic dress types that are usually called for in gatherings and to which events you should wear these types of dresses in.

1. The Ball Gown – The ball gown is considered the most formal of attires when it comes to females who are to attend social events and gatherings. The gown consists of a full skirt that reaches down to your ankles and made of exotic and luxuriant fabric with adornments. This is what you ought to wear when an invitation specifies for a "white tie' or an "evening dress' affair.

2. The Cocktail Dress – The cocktail dress, as the name suggests, is worn during cocktail parties and to parties and events that are termed and specified to be "semi-formal'. Cocktail dresses' lengths are varied according to whatever is the fashion at the moment.

3. The Evening Gown – The evening gown, like the ball gown, is also worn during formal affairs. Though what makes it different from the ball gown is the fact that evening gowns need not have full skirts. It is not as heavily-adorned and is made out of more loose and flowing garments. The usual materials used in making such evening gowns are fabrics such as chiffon and silk. These are worn in response to an invitation that states of a "black tie' event.

4. The Little Black Dress – The little black dress has long been popular in gatherings. It is preferred by many because of its simplicity and elegance and because it is usually pretty safe to don on. It can be considered as both a cocktail dress as well as an evening gown. You can wear the little black dress to almost any gathering and assure yourself that you would not stick out like a sore thumb. Because of this, the Little Black Dress has been considered as a staple piece of wardrobe for women everywhere.

5. The Sundress – The sundress is probably the most casual piece of dress there is. It is for informal events like small parties and a gathering with friends. The sundress is usually made of lightweight material. It is ideal for summer because of its fabric and because of its usually sunny designs and prints.

Sometimes when invitations do not specify the attire required, it makes your task much more difficult. Make sure to keep in mind that it is considered impolite to be underdressed for highly important occasions, yet also terribly embarrassing to overdress. A good advice would be to give a follow-up call to the organizers of the affair and subtly ask for the proper attire they had in mind.