# Delve to Life

> Independent English-language style guides for real life: what dress codes mean (casual to white tie), outfit formulas by occasion and weather, colour combinations for clothes, and sourced screen-style references. Written by the Delve to Life editors; sources include the Emily Post Institute and Debrett's. Search-demand figures come from DataForSEO via OpenSEO (retrieved October 2026).

Key facts:
- The dress-code ladder, least to most formal: casual, smart casual, business casual, dressy casual, cocktail/semi-formal, lounge suits (mainly UK), black tie optional, black tie, white tie.
- When unsure, dress one step above where you think the event sits.
- What to wear today (https://delvetolife.com/guides/what-to-wear-today/) gives an outfit formula for each temperature band, in °F and °C, adjusted for work, dinner and travel.
- AI assistants can query the same content through a free, read-only MCP server: https://mcp.delvetolife.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no auth). Setup instructions: https://delvetolife.com/ai/

## Dress codes and occasions

- [Black tie optional: what guests should wear](https://delvetolife.com/guides/black-tie-optional/): What black tie optional means, three safe outfits for women and men, what to wear to a black tie optional wedding, and how it differs from black tie.
- [Cocktail attire: what to wear, with examples](https://delvetolife.com/guides/cocktail-attire/): What cocktail attire means for women and men, what to wear to a cocktail wedding, day vs evening, and how it differs from semi-formal and formal.
- [Cocktail attire for men](https://delvetolife.com/guides/cocktail-attire-men/): The suit, shirt, tie and shoes, six illustrated outfits from classic to casual cocktail, weddings, seasons and what to avoid.
- [Dress codes explained: casual to black tie](https://delvetolife.com/guides/dress-codes/): Smart casual, cocktail, semi-formal, black tie: what each dress code means, a safe outfit for each, and why the words differ between the US, UK and Australia.
- [What to wear to a job interview, by industry](https://delvetolife.com/guides/interview-outfit/): Interview outfits for every workplace, from finance to start-ups: the dress-one-level-up rule, video interviews and a night-before checklist.
- [Semi-formal attire: what to wear, explained](https://delvetolife.com/guides/semi-formal-attire/): What semi-formal attire means for women and men, what to wear to a semi-formal wedding, day vs evening, and how it compares with cocktail and formal.
- [Smart casual for women: 9 outfit formulas](https://delvetolife.com/guides/smart-casual-women/): What smart casual means for women in the US, UK and Australia, nine outfit formulas from clothes you own, and how it differs from business casual.
- [Wedding guest attire by dress code](https://delvetolife.com/guides/wedding-guest-attire/): What to wear to a wedding for every dress code, from casual and beach to black tie, for women and men, plus the guest rules on white, weather and culture.
- [What to wear to a funeral: a calm guide](https://delvetolife.com/guides/what-to-wear-to-a-funeral/): What to wear to a funeral, memorial or viewing: colours, outfits for women and men, weather, and how to respect family wishes and religious customs.

## Style lessons

- [Colour combinations for clothes that work](https://delvetolife.com/guides/colour/): Twelve colour combinations for clothes, four colour-wheel shortcuts and a ten-minute exercise to build outfit palettes from what you already own.
- [Play with proportion, keep your comfort](https://delvetolife.com/guides/proportion/): Learn how garment lengths, volume and visible layers change an outfit. Try three practical proportion experiments using clothes you already own.
- [Turn screen style into everyday outfits](https://delvetolife.com/guides/screen-to-everyday/): Use Blair Waldorf and Rachel Green as starting points. Extract one detail, adapt it to your climate and occasion, and build an outfit of your own.
- [What to wear in 50–60°F (10–16°C) weather](https://delvetolife.com/guides/what-to-wear-50-60-degrees/): Layering formulas for 50, 55 and 60°F (10, 13 and 16°C) weather, for work, weekends and evenings, with clothes you already own. Fahrenheit and Celsius.

## Fits (school and young-life outfits)

- [Fits: spirit week, era outfits, style quiz and prom](https://delvetolife.com/fits/): Delve to Life's section for school and young-life outfits.
- [Spirit week ideas: decades day, twin day and 22 more themes](https://delvetolife.com/fits/spirit-week/): An easy outfit for every spirit week theme (decades day for girls and guys, twin, character, anything but a backpack, pajama, jersey), Christmas spirit week ideas and sample weeks for planners.
- [90s outfits: 12 looks for girls and guys](https://delvetolife.com/fits/90s-outfits/): Grunge, hip-hop, skater, minimal, preppy and sporty 90s looks, a last-minute decades day version and everyday tips.
- [80s outfits: 12 looks for girls and guys](https://delvetolife.com/fits/80s-outfits/): Neon workout, preppy, power dressing, new wave, rock and hip-hop 80s looks, a last-minute decades day version and 80s party ideas.
- [Style quiz: what's my aesthetic?](https://delvetolife.com/fits/style-quiz/): A free 8-question quiz matching you to one of eight aesthetics. No sign-up; answers are not saved or sent.
- [Prom and homecoming outfits for guys](https://delvetolife.com/fits/prom-outfits-for-guys/): Dress codes, suit vs tux, 10 looks, matching your date, rent vs buy, a fit checklist and a timeline.

## Describe it (find clothes without the words)

- [Can't describe it? Show us](https://delvetolife.com/describe/): Pick a shape, rise, colour and length from pictures, or search with a screenshot. Shows what the style is called and real in-stock pieces from brands' own shops.
- [Illustrated clothing glossary](https://delvetolife.com/words/): Pant shapes, dresses, skirts, coats, sleeves, necklines, shoes and boots side by side, with how to spot each one.
- [Types of pants](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-pants/): Straight, wide-leg, barrel, flare, skinny, baggy, tapered and cargo.
- [Types of coats](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-coats/): Trench, wrap, overcoat, peacoat, puffer, shearling, bomber and chore jacket.
- [Types of necklines](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-necklines/): Crew, V-neck, scoop, square, boat, turtleneck, mock and cowl.
- [Types of dresses](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-dresses/): A-line, fit-and-flare, wrap, slip, shirt dress, sheath, bodycon and babydoll.
- [Types of skirts](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-skirts/): A-line, pencil, pleated, slip, wrap, tiered, circle and trumpet.
- [Types of sleeves](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-sleeves/): Puff, bishop, bell, cap, raglan, batwing, flutter and lantern.
- [Types of boots](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-boots/): Knee-high, over-the-knee, combat, western, riding, hiking, rain and slouch.
- [Types of bags: 12 handbag styles, with pictures](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-bags/): Types of bags, with pictures: tote, crossbody, shoulder, clutch, satchel, hobo, bucket, baguette, backpack, belt bag, top-handle and saddle bags.
- [Types of hats: 12 hat styles, with pictures](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-hats/): Types of hats, with pictures: baseball cap, beanie, bucket, beret, fedora, trilby, panama, cloche, boater, floppy sun hat, newsboy cap and cowboy hat.
- [Types of heels: 10 heel styles, with pictures](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-heels/): Types of heels, with pictures: stiletto, block, kitten, wedge, platform, cone, spool, stacked, Cuban and flared heels, and which are easiest to walk in.
- [Types of collars: 12 collar styles, with pictures](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-collars/): Types of collars, with pictures: point, spread, button-down, club, mandarin, Peter Pan, wing, sailor, pussy-bow, shawl, notched and polo collars.
- [Types of shoes](https://delvetolife.com/words/types-of-shoes/): Loafer, ballet flat, Mary Jane, Chelsea boot, derby, mule, sneaker and ankle boot.

## Tools and data

- [Use Delve to Life in your AI assistant](https://delvetolife.com/ai/): Connect Delve to Life's free MCP server to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client to get dress-code answers, outfit formulas and colour combinations inside your AI assistant.
- [Clothing names with pictures, size charts and what to wear](https://delvetolife.com/): Home page: the illustrated clothing glossary, size conversion charts, dress-code guides and Fits.
- [Character outfit searches, by the numbers](https://delvetolife.com/insights/screen-style-index/): Eight years of US search data on 30+ screen and celebrity wardrobes: which looks surge every October, which fade after a release, and which stay wearable.
- [Celebrity and character style references](https://delvetolife.com/references/): 50 sourced style references from film, TV and around the world. Each one is reduced to the detail you can wear, reduced to one wearable detail.

## Optional

- [About & editorial standards](https://delvetolife.com/about/): How Delve to Life turns sourced style references into practical outfit lessons, with clear limits and independent editorial choices.
- [Style guides: dress codes and occasions](https://delvetolife.com/guides/): All Delve to Life style guides in one place: dress codes, wedding and interview outfits, weather layering, colour, proportion and screen inspiration.

## Size charts

- [Size calculator](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/): Enter height, bust or chest, waist, hips and foot length; get US, UK, EU (DE/FR/IT), Japan, Korea and China sizes for tops, trousers, dresses, shirts and shoes. Runs in the browser; nothing is sent.
- [Women's size chart](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/womens-clothing/): International conversion with body measurements.
- [Men's size chart](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/mens-clothing/): Letter sizes, suit jackets (US/UK, EU, short/regular/long), shirt collars.
- [Pants size chart](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/pants/): Women's and men's waist, hips, denim sizes and inseam.
- [Shoe size conversion](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/shoes/): Women's and men's US, UK, EU and foot length (JP/KR/CN).
- [Women's jeans size chart: what size is 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 or 32?](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/womens-jeans/): Women's jeans size chart: what jeans sizes 24 to 34 mean in US, UK and EU sizes, with the body waist and hip measurements for each number.
- [How to measure yourself](https://delvetolife.com/sizes/how-to-measure/): Waist, bust, chest, hips, inseam, neck and foot.