The Dinner Party Dress Code: A Night in with Khanh Ong
So, you've been invited to a dinner party. The menu is set, and you know exactly what wine to bring. The only question that remains is, ‘What do I wear?’ The rules are not as defined as usual. You need to look chic, charming, and natural, all at the same time. When the host is Khanh Ong, you’re there for a good time and a long time.
It's All About Balance
For Khanh, cooking and fashion work in very similar ways, and it's all about balance. “When you’ve got something that’s super structured, you want something that is a little bit more relaxed”, he told us. Wearing a clean-cut jacquard blazer over a soft merino wool sweater is the proof in the pudding, a perfect mix of tailoring matched with ease. When styling becomes more intentional, details matter. A subtle silk that shifts in low light, or a soft leather that contrasts with matte knits. Choose fabrics with texture.
Start with the Fit
One of the easiest ways to dress well is to focus on fit. Whether it's a minimalist white shirt or that special double-breasted blazer with silver hardware, the way it sits against your body makes or breaks the look. Khanh notes that as you mature, the way you think about fashion changes. "As soon as we get older, we care so much more about tailoring and fit…now it's all about good fabrics, good cuts”.
Khanh smirked when the topic of fashion faux pas was brought up and reminisced on the styling choices of his younger self. “I was wearing clothes that were tighter than they should be or looser than they should be. But not in like a nice, oversized way, in more like a you don’t know how to dress yourself way.” He’s since learned that a well-tailored suit has a place anywhere. It brings a sense of conviction, something that naturally reads as considered. It moves effortlessly between your most formal occasions and something as intimate as a dinner with friends. Something that looks made for you will accompany you anywhere.
House Rules
Your choice of shoe matters. Depending on the host’s rules, they may need to be left at the door, so a Chelsea boot or loafer is a good idea. No need to be untying laces, awkwardly juggling a bottle of wine, as these slide off with ease. This is not a choice of function over fashion; loafers and boots in premium leather are a timeless essential, keeping the outfit polished from the ground up. Whatever formality exists amongst friends at the start of your night dissipates over the hours, as food is served and glasses are refilled. Our warmer layers are abandoned, meaning what's underneath is just as important. Tim’s oxblood shirt is a statement underlayer, relaxed and refined with just the right amount of sheen.
Feel Good, Look Great
A dinner party is a great excuse to wear the things that you just don't reach for, day-to-day. Nic wears the Wool Double-Breasted Blazer, a sartorial piece for an intentional wardrobe. “Even when I'm at home, I love dressing up… it makes me feel like I’ve got my life together”, Khanh told us. Everyone has a different language when it comes to style, and what you say is often a reflection of you. A dinner party gives you the space to dress with a little more intention, to arrive with a little more presence. When you feel good in what you’re wearing, it shows.
At the end of the night, when plates are cleared and jackets are slung over chairs, it’s not only about what you wear. It's also about how the clothes make you feel and how you show up because of them. The structured blazer that makes you feel sexy, the shirt that sits just right, the leather loafers waiting by the door. A bespoke curation that is entirely your own. Ease in what you wear allows you to focus on the moment, and that’s when the fun starts and the night truly begins.
