What Is Business Casual? - Vancouver,WA

Valet... NO IDEA. Business casual... I would assume dress pants and a nice top. I would normally say khakis and a top, but for the event that you describe I'm upping my normal impression of business cas... :) HAVE FUN!!!

Hi B., They just don't want you to show up in ratty jeans or weekend wear. They are asking you to look nice, but it doesn't need to be a cocktail dress for you or a suit for him.
For you: a dress you like or nice black pants and a cute top. For him: Khakis or dark pants and a button up shirt. Even a pressed polo shirt is probably fine.
Since this is a CD release party, there will be some unusual sorts there, so I promise you won't be the weirdest ones. Have fun and enjoy the free booze.

Valet- When you get there, someone will open the door for the driver and for the passenger. Wait for him to come around for the passenger (if it doesn't look like he is going to, then get out on your own). Have the driver hand the valet the ticket. He will give you back a ticket or stub for you to claim the car later. You don't need to tip now.
When you claim the car, give a $2-$5 tip (depending on how miserable the weather is and your wait for the car) to the man who drives it up and presents it to you. Again, someone should open both passenger and driver doors.

I work in the "business" world and your husband should wear a tie. The term Business casual only indicates that no suit coat required...he still should wear a tie. Slacks, button up shirt and tie. I would not recommend a polo.
For you a nice dress (not summery with thin straps) or slacks and a nice blouse would be appropriate, though dresses are alway a sure bet.

And yes tip the Vallet when you pick up your car (2-5 dollars is appropriate).

No jeans, no tee-shirts or polos. A dress shirt, tie not required. Slacks. No tennis shoes or sandals. A sports jacket. No loud prints or patterns. Color scheme: blues, black, browns.

For you: a dress, skirt and blouse/sweater, slacks and a blouse/sweater. No jeans, tee shirts. No heavy make-up or dramatic hair styles, casual. Again, soft colors. No cleavage, no sheer clothing.

The ticket for valet parking pays for the parking, which can be very spendy at some locations, so kudos to your host for providing this service. But not knowing if the gratituity has been included in their bill, it would be appropriate to tip the valet $5. And you do this when he delivers you car upon your departure.

It's great that it's business casual. You'll be far more comfortable and at ease during the evening. So you're not out searching for that cocktail dress or evening wear for either of you. Enjoy!!!!

The term "business casual" is not actually as unified of a term as it seems it should be, as there are some variations to it, depending on who you ask.

Most commonly it means that for you, you should wear a nice dress (doesn't have to be cocktail style, but not a summer dress either), or nice slacks or a nice skirt (skirts should be at or below your knee), and a nice blouse or even perhaps a nice sweater.

For your husband, I would say nice slacks (sometimes khakis/Dockers fall into this category, but I would play it safe for this event and go with slacks) and a long sleeved button up shirt would be perfect. A nice sweater for him is usually acceptable as well. If it were actually in the office at work (vs. a party), a nice polo type shirt works too, but again, it might be best to avoid that for this event. Ties are typically unnecessary (and even sometimes discouraged) for the "business casual" class, but if he wears a collared shirt, you might want to bring one just in case so your husband can throw it on if necessary.

Everything should be ironed or pressed.

As for the valet, I suggest tipping them $3 - $5.

Have a fun night! :o)

Marianne is right on. Follow her advice.

Aha! You're doing the PinkMartini CDR, right? (The style of music, at a CDR has a lot to do with dress code). Seeing as they're an orchestra type -and rabidly successful- I'd bet $20 that "business casual" means "dress down"

Also... the CDR is open to the public... so the dresscode is actually out the window. You'll see people in opera wear & jeans. So unless you or hubby works for a firm that represents them (and then you're dealing with office politics, not party politics) just relax and have a good time, regardless of what you're wearing. Seattle also has the most ambiguous dress codes of any city I've ever lived in.

But I'll let you in on a secret. (Having worked in music). No matter how big or what type the band is, the cd release is a big deal for the artist/agents/reps...and they ONLY CARE ABOUT TWO THINGS.

1) Number of people there.
2) If those people are having a good time.

Nothing else. (Well, politics surrounding those two issues). So put a huge smile on your face, and prepare to be dazzled. It'll be a lot more casual than you're expecting, and the best article of clothing you could wear is on your face.

I also would agree with Marianne and Marda.
Don't stress too much..that's exactly the purpose of having "business casual"..to reduce that stress and expectation. Just aim to look reasonably neat.
And yes I agree that depending on the style of the CD there could be some very interesting artsy types there!