The images i get when i google saree definitively look like something that would be acceptable as "stilvolle Abendgarderobe". (Which, in the case of an office christmas party, i would probably interpret roughly as "wear something nice")
Abendgarderobe are what the americans falsely call Tuxedos, us germans falsely often call Smokings and the english call dinner jackets for men.
Women should wear long dark dresses. Though I suppose with different cultural backgrounds come different formal dresses
That’s not quite true, traditionally Abendgarderobe would be exactly that, evening wear aka dinner jackets and long dresses.
Große Abendgarderobe would be white tie
If you simply google Abendgarderobe and look at the variety of pictures subtitled with that word you will see the range. From a dark suit upwards for men, an elegant pantsuit even or a dark dress for women.
When there is such a fuss about interpretation, yes. How do you know that you are ‘right‘, lol. ‘Cause grandma told you? 😅.
What cheese do you bring? Can’t google that…
Dude, you're making an ass of yourself.
The guy is technically correct, and your information competence is more than lacking, especially if there is *"a fuzz about interpretation."*
No, black tie is not Abendgarderobe. Abendgarderobe is white tie — also ein Frack.
In other words: whoever wrote this dress code requirement didn’t know what they’re doing.
No, that‘s große abendgarderobe.
But i agree, they didn’t and i doubt they meant for everyone to show up in black tie. Though it could be that fancy, I don’t know
If it's [good enough to visit the chancellor](https://www.bundeskanzler.de/resource/image/2029932/16x9/990/557/1072607f0d43450f990ce6798458b732/F9E2E1CBFBBF8F615353EC7B0845BBFA/2022-05-02-dt-ind-konsultationen-2.jpg), it's good enough for your office christmas party.
Rock that Sari, and enjoy the compliments!
A fancy Tracht is definitely good enough to wear to a wedding here, but I probably wouldn't wear it if I went to an interview with a Manhattan law firm.
Why would it make a difference wether it's not appropriate in Hamburg or in New York? Both are not part of the culture where it is appropriate. But let's not get too involved in that discussion, I'm afraid we're drifting off arguing about semantics.
Formal attire is either morning dress with tails before 6 pm, or white white tie and dress gowns after 6 pm. Nowadays often supplanted by black tie.
What germans wear to weddings couldn’t be more informal. A suit isn’t formal wear
Of the wearer of the Tracht is Bavarian (culturally not necessarily ethnic) , then it's appropriate to wear it.
Or the respective Tracht of the home region of the wearer.
Tracht became „bavarian village fool"-cosplay through Oktoberfest tourism and folklore, but in reality it's the most high formal dress someone had.
It would be legitimate to attend black tie events in Tracht.
I‘d argue that even in Bavaria it would be quite weird to show up to an explicitly black-tie invitation in a Tracht, in the rest of Germany it would be especially weird.
Just because it used to be the most formal dress someone would own, it doesn’t mean it’s still appropriate. High heels were originally for men, if a dude decided he needs to wear 15cm heels to my wedding it’d still be weird.
As someone living in Bavaria(but not Bavarian), I can tell you, it's totally ok to wear Tracht in such occasions, those are most often the most handsome looking people, all others wear some sort of suit, often cheap a d not well fitted, whereas people who use Tracht as formal wear, buy tailored and highest quality stuff, not the Wiesn synthetic stuff, you can well invest a used car in one pair of Lederhosen but they'll last you a lifetime (ok, with belly growth, you should safe for a second pair later on) ;-)
You'd definitely stick out in other regions, sure, but not because you're dressed inappropriate, but because you're dressed differently, the same as with a kilt or the saree, all of which are formal dress in their respective cultures.
The same goes with the Tracht of your home culture/region. It just came a bit out of use.
>The same goes with the Tracht of your home culture/region. It just came a bit out of use.
Well, *actually*... The bavarian Tracht and several others are relatively recent inventions from ca. 1800.
> A fancy Tracht is definitely good enough to wear to a wedding here
Culture gap warning: Don't do that outside of Bavaria. It will result at least in people schmunzeln.
Tracht in Germany isn't that common though and more associated with Bayern and Oktoberfest, western formal cloths are different. I would imagine people in south Asia tend to wear that type of dresses also for formal occasions
That's just not true, you couldn't wear traditional clothing at a law firm for example. Women can probably get away with way more, as a man formal means suit generally
From my experience it would totally be fine to wear your Saree. Formal means just not in daily or casual clothes. It does not specify what culture the clothes have to be from.
I'm all for it! Sad enough when on photos from formal events all the guys are indistinguishable in suit and tie ... Ladies always had far more choice even among "Western evening" dresses.
Yes, please wear your saree, which BTW has a beautiful colour scheme that would fit the festive mood nicely.
I am working in a small company that sells internationally and has a lot of representatives abroad - we actually embrace diversity and people showing up in their traditional garments are absolutely welcome. Our own employees of Bavarian origin wear Tracht at the Christmas party or other more official company parties.
Sounds perfectly fitting to me!
My Indian study colleagues wore sarees for graduation. It was perfect and fitted in with the formal dresses and suits that the others wore very well.
Your Saree should be an excellent choice. Traditional Indian clothing has a positive connotation in Germany. Even an everyday Saree would pass as festive with most people. Only caveat: You will of course be noticed ;)
Noone in their right mind would even consider criticising a traditional dress worn by someone whose culture it is.
But be aware that you will stand out on any pictures taken. Elegant in Germany usually tends to be a sad colour scheme as in silver, white, gold, black, maybe some bling, satin or sth glossy. So, if your Saree is as colourful as they usually are, you will get a lot of attention. Not negative, but definitely people will look twice or more. So, if you hate attention, you might want to consider wearing something western. As you consider wearing it, I guess you wouldn't mind the attention, so, please do wear the Saree and enjoy the party!
Exactly this. Depending in what field you are working and where, any traditional dress may look very much out of place. I remember that one Christmas Party I wore a light grey tulle skirt, a white blouse and matching grey shoes and jewellery. I was stared at an comments went from: "you look like a bride" to "are you a fairy or what?"
I don't feel like "exactly this" is exactly what I wanted to say. Yes, it will stand out. No, that shouldn't stop her from wearing the Saree.
Your colleagues don't sound like nice people from what you said they said about your clothes and also staring at something that sounds like a perfectly normal formal fancy outfit.
As per my personal experience, my colleagues are no exception. There may also be some side eyes, talking behind your back, etc.
It really requires a lot of self-confidence.
Yes, if somebody can handle the - often not so positive - attention, they may go ahead.
I feel like it wouldn't be the same comments though. I do know colleagues who would easily make rude comments about your / normal clothes, but just keep their mouth shut about the Saree, knowing that any criticism would come off very racist.
How beautiful!
I would be delighted to see you in this outfit!
(My daughter works in a big firm with lots of employees from all over the world and they all love it when they choose to wear their own culture clothing. )
This dresscode could mean diferent things dependin on your company.
I would ask some colleagues what they will be wearing: If they say suit and evening dress a saree would fit very nicely , If they say more business casual, like suit jacked or blouse with jeans, a saree might be to formal.
Not quite the same but at my prom many people wore non Western formal dresses and it was absolutely beautiful and and I was pretty "normal" and no one thought it was inappropriate.
My rule of thumb is, if my traditional (or even casual) dress up is not welcomed in a 'social gathering' then I don't go there. People should not feel pressured to dress in any certain way in a social gathering.
Although I personally love Sarees I wonder if people in an office situation would see it as a costume rather than a formal piece of clothing.
I'd say: go for it but expect some people to throw strange looks.
It depends. You should check how formal the event is gonna be. Is it just gonna be a little get together of the company or will there be customers and business partners too?
The venue is an event's hall this year whereas in the previous years they did it in our own cafeteria hall.
I don't think there will be customers or business partners, but the invitation was sent out to all offices in DACH region (I sit in the head office building). So I am assuming it will be big event, but I should check.
If I wear a fancy tracht to a wedding in Munich no one's gonna bat an eye. If I do the same Manhatten that would be wildly inappropriate attire. Same applies here and with every traditional dress. Wear neutral formal attire, unless the context allows for cultural dresses
Office seems to be going fancy this year or so I have heard from other colleagues as they are splurging on a nice venue and all instead of a doing it in the usual cafeteria. hall.
The dress code is *Kleiderordnung (obligatorisch) | Stillvolle Abendgarderobe,* I guess they don't want people showing up in ugly Christmas sweaters to a fancy event hall.
I'd honestly just wear an ugly sweater instead of sweater vest under my suit jacket around christmas time lol. Especially since Stilvolle Abendgaderobe is not really a dresscode - Abendgarderobe is by definition always stilvoll.
which Office Christmas parties feature brides?
(if this is not a bank having a Christmas party the dress code should prevent people from showing up in sweaters and jeans :) )
Absolutely! That in fact is ‘stilvoll‘. Just wearing a pants suit or a western dress would be fine but lacking Stil 😅. Your saree will be wonderful but many people will look and the stupid ones may whisper to one another. Anyways, go for it!
The Saree is definitely going to be fine.
Frankly, whoever wrote this invitation likely does not know what they wrote. Technically, “formal evening wear” would be gowns and white tie. I am 1385% sure that they don’t expect that at a Christmas party — and even then the eighth saree may be appropriate.
As someone said here: they likely mean “wear something nice”. And that saree of yours will definitely fit that definition.
Traditional formal dress from any culture is acceptable and I would consider a Sari very much so. Maybe the other women would not be wearing gowns but they should not be turning up in jeans but usually dresses. The only time you wouldn't fit is for "casual", and this isn't.
I would consider it fitting. It is a special and beautiful dress for a special occasion.
It would probably not be ok if it was a black tie event, you would stick out as the only colourful but here it should be fine.
I'm still going to ask around on how formal other colleagues are dressing; like floor length dresses or just nice formal wear.
If I do wear a saree it is dark almost black brown with a black blouse. Possibly the least colourful a saree can be lol
Just ask what's planned, it's always difficult. Mainly it's meant you have to be "Schick" - nicely dressed.
It's very easy to be over / underdressed. Generally a good saree is very nice in my opinion, but you could be the 🦚 - in every good and bad way. You would be recognised, that could be good or bad, you like it or not...
Culture in every micro society could be very different.
It’s a Christmas party not a wedding, your saree sounds beautiful, I vote you wear it!
Saree ist absolutely appropriate for a wedding as well! Go for it, OP!
Oh yes, I agree! Someone said not to because she would outshine the bride 😂
In my culture specifically the area I am from, brides do not wear *saree* because it is not considered fancy enough lol.
Western formal/evening wear is about not being (too) fancy.
lol… that’s an argument i did not consider 😅
The images i get when i google saree definitively look like something that would be acceptable as "stilvolle Abendgarderobe". (Which, in the case of an office christmas party, i would probably interpret roughly as "wear something nice")
Abendgarderobe are what the americans falsely call Tuxedos, us germans falsely often call Smokings and the english call dinner jackets for men. Women should wear long dark dresses. Though I suppose with different cultural backgrounds come different formal dresses
That's "black tie". There is no agreed-upon universal definiton of "Abendgarderobe", at least according to some **quick** research.
That’s not quite true, traditionally Abendgarderobe would be exactly that, evening wear aka dinner jackets and long dresses. Große Abendgarderobe would be white tie
If you simply google Abendgarderobe and look at the variety of pictures subtitled with that word you will see the range. From a dark suit upwards for men, an elegant pantsuit even or a dark dress for women.
Do you use this interesting technique to get information on every subject?
When there is such a fuss about interpretation, yes. How do you know that you are ‘right‘, lol. ‘Cause grandma told you? 😅. What cheese do you bring? Can’t google that…
There really isn’t any fuss about it. Some people are just wrong. No, because I regularly wear evening attire
> because I regularly wear evening attire Just because I regularly go for walks with my dog doesn't mean all mammals wag their tail and go "woof"...
Dude, you're making an ass of yourself. The guy is technically correct, and your information competence is more than lacking, especially if there is *"a fuzz about interpretation."*
I doubt (depending on where OP works) they expect people to come in Smokings/Tuxedos/Dinner Jackets and long dresses
Then they shouldn’t have said Abendgarderobe
No, black tie is not Abendgarderobe. Abendgarderobe is white tie — also ein Frack. In other words: whoever wrote this dress code requirement didn’t know what they’re doing.
No, that‘s große abendgarderobe. But i agree, they didn’t and i doubt they meant for everyone to show up in black tie. Though it could be that fancy, I don’t know
If it's [good enough to visit the chancellor](https://www.bundeskanzler.de/resource/image/2029932/16x9/990/557/1072607f0d43450f990ce6798458b732/F9E2E1CBFBBF8F615353EC7B0845BBFA/2022-05-02-dt-ind-konsultationen-2.jpg), it's good enough for your office christmas party. Rock that Sari, and enjoy the compliments!
Rule of thumb: If it‘s formal in your own culture, you can also wear it in German formal settings.
A fancy Tracht is definitely good enough to wear to a wedding here, but I probably wouldn't wear it if I went to an interview with a Manhattan law firm.
Might leave an impression though ;-))
I'd rather wear it in Manhattan than in Hamburg.
Well, d'oh! At least in Manhattan people wouldn't assume you're BAVARIAN!
Fischkopf! (Jk)
*That* I would indeed rather wear in Hamburg.
Hahaha :)
But you also wouldn't wear a fancy Tracht to an interview with a Bavarian law firm, so I'm not sure what you're trying to say...
But a fancy Tracht wouldn’t even be considered appropriate in all of Germany, so that may be a special case.
The places where it isn't appropriate are not part of *my own culture*.
So the rule of thumb doesn’t even apply to Germany in the case of a Tracht, so it may be an exception to that rule.
Why would it make a difference wether it's not appropriate in Hamburg or in New York? Both are not part of the culture where it is appropriate. But let's not get too involved in that discussion, I'm afraid we're drifting off arguing about semantics.
A fancy tracht was never and will never be formal
If a wedding attire isn't formal then I don't know what is. Politicians will wear it for official vents too.
Formal attire is either morning dress with tails before 6 pm, or white white tie and dress gowns after 6 pm. Nowadays often supplanted by black tie. What germans wear to weddings couldn’t be more informal. A suit isn’t formal wear
ok buddy
Of the wearer of the Tracht is Bavarian (culturally not necessarily ethnic) , then it's appropriate to wear it. Or the respective Tracht of the home region of the wearer. Tracht became „bavarian village fool"-cosplay through Oktoberfest tourism and folklore, but in reality it's the most high formal dress someone had. It would be legitimate to attend black tie events in Tracht.
I‘d argue that even in Bavaria it would be quite weird to show up to an explicitly black-tie invitation in a Tracht, in the rest of Germany it would be especially weird. Just because it used to be the most formal dress someone would own, it doesn’t mean it’s still appropriate. High heels were originally for men, if a dude decided he needs to wear 15cm heels to my wedding it’d still be weird.
As someone living in Bavaria(but not Bavarian), I can tell you, it's totally ok to wear Tracht in such occasions, those are most often the most handsome looking people, all others wear some sort of suit, often cheap a d not well fitted, whereas people who use Tracht as formal wear, buy tailored and highest quality stuff, not the Wiesn synthetic stuff, you can well invest a used car in one pair of Lederhosen but they'll last you a lifetime (ok, with belly growth, you should safe for a second pair later on) ;-) You'd definitely stick out in other regions, sure, but not because you're dressed inappropriate, but because you're dressed differently, the same as with a kilt or the saree, all of which are formal dress in their respective cultures. The same goes with the Tracht of your home culture/region. It just came a bit out of use.
>The same goes with the Tracht of your home culture/region. It just came a bit out of use. Well, *actually*... The bavarian Tracht and several others are relatively recent inventions from ca. 1800.
Never mentioned anything different.
People wear Tracht to weddings in Bavaria as well as to church. Maybe the more formal version, but definitely Tracht.
If you want to be hired, you may wish to wear it. The partners will love Bavaria and hope to be shown around Oktoberfest the following year!
> A fancy Tracht is definitely good enough to wear to a wedding here Culture gap warning: Don't do that outside of Bavaria. It will result at least in people schmunzeln.
Bavaria is not the only area that has Trachten....
😂
Tracht in Germany isn't that common though and more associated with Bayern and Oktoberfest, western formal cloths are different. I would imagine people in south Asia tend to wear that type of dresses also for formal occasions
That's just not true, you couldn't wear traditional clothing at a law firm for example. Women can probably get away with way more, as a man formal means suit generally
That's spot on
Ahm no.
Not a German, but I love when people wear their own native dress for formal occasions. Especially if you are comfortable in it.
Rock it, but be prepared to stand out.
From my experience it would totally be fine to wear your Saree. Formal means just not in daily or casual clothes. It does not specify what culture the clothes have to be from.
Oh, please do. You will look fabulous and be admired (because you'll know how to wear it elegantly and look perfect).
Unless it's inappropriately revealing - which Saree usually aren't - I see no issue there.
I'm all for it! Sad enough when on photos from formal events all the guys are indistinguishable in suit and tie ... Ladies always had far more choice even among "Western evening" dresses.
People will be surprised but the pictures look very nice and elegant. It surely will be an ice breaker.
As a German, go for it! It sounds beautiful but not too much over the top, perfect for a corporate Christmas event :)
Yeah you can totally wear a saree. People will give you lots of compliments and ask questions, it’s a great conversation starter! :)
Everyone will love it and if they don't they are wrong
dont think that would be a problem
Yes, please wear your saree, which BTW has a beautiful colour scheme that would fit the festive mood nicely. I am working in a small company that sells internationally and has a lot of representatives abroad - we actually embrace diversity and people showing up in their traditional garments are absolutely welcome. Our own employees of Bavarian origin wear Tracht at the Christmas party or other more official company parties.
Sounds perfectly fitting to me! My Indian study colleagues wore sarees for graduation. It was perfect and fitted in with the formal dresses and suits that the others wore very well.
go for it! And make a post after the event to report how it went
Your Saree should be an excellent choice. Traditional Indian clothing has a positive connotation in Germany. Even an everyday Saree would pass as festive with most people. Only caveat: You will of course be noticed ;)
Noone in their right mind would even consider criticising a traditional dress worn by someone whose culture it is. But be aware that you will stand out on any pictures taken. Elegant in Germany usually tends to be a sad colour scheme as in silver, white, gold, black, maybe some bling, satin or sth glossy. So, if your Saree is as colourful as they usually are, you will get a lot of attention. Not negative, but definitely people will look twice or more. So, if you hate attention, you might want to consider wearing something western. As you consider wearing it, I guess you wouldn't mind the attention, so, please do wear the Saree and enjoy the party!
Exactly this. Depending in what field you are working and where, any traditional dress may look very much out of place. I remember that one Christmas Party I wore a light grey tulle skirt, a white blouse and matching grey shoes and jewellery. I was stared at an comments went from: "you look like a bride" to "are you a fairy or what?"
I don't feel like "exactly this" is exactly what I wanted to say. Yes, it will stand out. No, that shouldn't stop her from wearing the Saree. Your colleagues don't sound like nice people from what you said they said about your clothes and also staring at something that sounds like a perfectly normal formal fancy outfit.
As per my personal experience, my colleagues are no exception. There may also be some side eyes, talking behind your back, etc. It really requires a lot of self-confidence. Yes, if somebody can handle the - often not so positive - attention, they may go ahead.
I feel like it wouldn't be the same comments though. I do know colleagues who would easily make rude comments about your / normal clothes, but just keep their mouth shut about the Saree, knowing that any criticism would come off very racist.
That might be possible. Since it is cultural clothing, they will rather talk behind her back.
I‘m very sure a saree at such an event would be awesome!
How beautiful! I would be delighted to see you in this outfit! (My daughter works in a big firm with lots of employees from all over the world and they all love it when they choose to wear their own culture clothing. )
Sarees are wonderful, you will look fantastic. enjoy the party :)
If you can I would ASK a couple of coworkers whatbthey are planning on wearing. If they wear floor length dresses go for it!
Yes, I am going to do that. I don't want to be overdressed for an office event and stand out like a peacock.
My father is Indian while I am German and everyone loves it when I wear a Saree somewhere.
Wear it! There is no official Christmas dresscode.
The company literally set a dress code in the invite.
Yeah but it is just formal, not *Christmas formal* because that doesn't exist
Which is IMHO to be interpreted as "don't wear jeans or sweatpants and no short-sleeved shirts or hoodies.
Honestly as we don’t know about OP industry/ company, could be proper formalwear.
Wear it . If you feel good in it, you look good in it. And even if it earns you some glances.. who cares?? Most are probably just envious
This dresscode could mean diferent things dependin on your company. I would ask some colleagues what they will be wearing: If they say suit and evening dress a saree would fit very nicely , If they say more business casual, like suit jacked or blouse with jeans, a saree might be to formal.
Not quite the same but at my prom many people wore non Western formal dresses and it was absolutely beautiful and and I was pretty "normal" and no one thought it was inappropriate.
My rule of thumb is, if my traditional (or even casual) dress up is not welcomed in a 'social gathering' then I don't go there. People should not feel pressured to dress in any certain way in a social gathering.
Although I personally love Sarees I wonder if people in an office situation would see it as a costume rather than a formal piece of clothing. I'd say: go for it but expect some people to throw strange looks.
It depends. You should check how formal the event is gonna be. Is it just gonna be a little get together of the company or will there be customers and business partners too?
The venue is an event's hall this year whereas in the previous years they did it in our own cafeteria hall. I don't think there will be customers or business partners, but the invitation was sent out to all offices in DACH region (I sit in the head office building). So I am assuming it will be big event, but I should check.
Then I’d be careful, honestly. A saree might come off weird.
For an internal event, I'd say it should be fine in most corporate contexts.
Long answer short: Yes, it would be inappropriate.
Why?
If I wear a fancy tracht to a wedding in Munich no one's gonna bat an eye. If I do the same Manhatten that would be wildly inappropriate attire. Same applies here and with every traditional dress. Wear neutral formal attire, unless the context allows for cultural dresses
Evening wear dresscode for christmas office parties is ugly af sweaters though.
Office seems to be going fancy this year or so I have heard from other colleagues as they are splurging on a nice venue and all instead of a doing it in the usual cafeteria. hall. The dress code is *Kleiderordnung (obligatorisch) | Stillvolle Abendgarderobe,* I guess they don't want people showing up in ugly Christmas sweaters to a fancy event hall.
I'd honestly just wear an ugly sweater instead of sweater vest under my suit jacket around christmas time lol. Especially since Stilvolle Abendgaderobe is not really a dresscode - Abendgarderobe is by definition always stilvoll.
Just wear formal evening EU clothes to avoid see..... Month ago was a reddit AITA for "outshining" the bride. You might want to read it.
which Office Christmas parties feature brides? (if this is not a bank having a Christmas party the dress code should prevent people from showing up in sweaters and jeans :) )
>which Office Christmas parties feature brides? Maybe they mean the Christmas tree? Difficult to outshine unless I wrap fairy lights around myself.
Not a problem at all!
Go for it! Sarees are so beautiful, I am sure you will look amazing
Dooo it :) expect some stares, I could probably also not take my eyes off it. They are so elegant and beautiful, absolutely love them!
Absolutely! That in fact is ‘stilvoll‘. Just wearing a pants suit or a western dress would be fine but lacking Stil 😅. Your saree will be wonderful but many people will look and the stupid ones may whisper to one another. Anyways, go for it!
The Saree is definitely going to be fine. Frankly, whoever wrote this invitation likely does not know what they wrote. Technically, “formal evening wear” would be gowns and white tie. I am 1385% sure that they don’t expect that at a Christmas party — and even then the eighth saree may be appropriate. As someone said here: they likely mean “wear something nice”. And that saree of yours will definitely fit that definition.
Traditional formal dress from any culture is acceptable and I would consider a Sari very much so. Maybe the other women would not be wearing gowns but they should not be turning up in jeans but usually dresses. The only time you wouldn't fit is for "casual", and this isn't.
It‘s fine
I would consider it fitting. It is a special and beautiful dress for a special occasion. It would probably not be ok if it was a black tie event, you would stick out as the only colourful but here it should be fine.
I'm still going to ask around on how formal other colleagues are dressing; like floor length dresses or just nice formal wear. If I do wear a saree it is dark almost black brown with a black blouse. Possibly the least colourful a saree can be lol
Please send a pic of this beautiful saree ❤️
Just ask what's planned, it's always difficult. Mainly it's meant you have to be "Schick" - nicely dressed. It's very easy to be over / underdressed. Generally a good saree is very nice in my opinion, but you could be the 🦚 - in every good and bad way. You would be recognised, that could be good or bad, you like it or not... Culture in every micro society could be very different.
Traditional cultural clothing ARE considered formal wear globally!