Designers share what to wear to summer parties

The invitation to a summer party likely includes the time, place and date, but you might have to look between the lines to get a read on the dress code.
evening dresses
What you wear often depends on where you are — and the wardrobe of your friends and neighbors. Jeans probably worked for a Fourth of July community picnic in Maine, but you might have seen a crystal-covered kaftan among the outfits at fireworks in Miami.

You should take cues from the invitation itself (embossed paper invitation vs. animated email?), the occasion and the usual style of the host. Don't be afraid to ask, either.

We asked designers from three labels what to wear to parties in their summertime playgrounds. Here's what Tommy Hilfiger had to say about what to wear in Nantucket, Mass., Monique Lhuillier on Malibu, Calif., and Mark Badgley and James Mischka, of Badgley Mischka, on Lexington, Ky.

• Mark Badgley-James Mischka on Lexington: The ladies of Lexington have a busy calendar and they like to dress up for each and every event, according to Badgley and Mischka, who make their second home there in the summer.

"They like pretty, not edgy," Badgley said. "They like to feel like they look good."

A pool party would be a great time to take out a long, strapless patio dress, perhaps with just a little beading, which will add glamour to the look without pulling out extra costume jewelry. A lot of bling doesn't go over with this crowd for daytime or family events, Badgley said. Pearls, however, are a must-have, as are a few fine pieces of jewelry.

Other unwritten rules for parties include no jeans when you are a guest to someone's home. Don't wear all black, either.

"All black doesn't migrate to Lexington. It's so New York," he said.

But the women there love a good hat, Mischka said.

The Kentucky Derby in May kicks off the social summer season and that's when the most ornate hats come out, but it would be common to wear a floppy straw hat to outdoor, day-lit parties.
ball gowns
Because it's hot in Kentucky, people gravitate toward light fabrics and breezy shapes, not a suit — for men or women, Mischka said, but even if it's a barbecue with lots of red sauce and the other fixings, the guests will have a respectful, genteel look.