- Upscale attire implies dressing for social occasions. While some business attire might be worn for business-related social occasions, such as an office party, business attire, even business-casual attire, is usually not appropriate for occasions calling for upscale attire. One important difference is that dressy or designer jeans are often appropriate for occasions calling for upscale attire, while this is rarely true for business-casual dressing.
- While upscale attire is often dressy, it differs from formal attire. Formal attire usually requires suits of some sort for men and dresses for women. While a dress might be appropriate for women's upscale attire, the type of dress is different--more like a party frock than an elegant gown. For men, wearing a suit would nearly always be considered too stiff for an occasion calling for upscale attire.
- Upscale-casual attire can be roughly translated to mean cocktail-party attire. For women, this can mean a short dress or perhaps jeans and a dressy top. For men, this usually means a jacket and slacks, but not a suit. A tie is usually not worn. Resort wear, or attire suitable for a cruise, is often also suitable for occasions calling for upscale-casual attire.
- A phrase often associated with club attire is "dress to impress." For women, this often means more flamboyant or revealing attire than normally worn anywhere else besides the beach. Glitter tops, short dresses and skirts, designer jeans, and heels are all appropriate for upscale club attire. For men, the look is somewhat more complicated. A suit won't cut it, and usually jeans aren't appropriate either. Khaki pants might work with the right shirt or jacket, but not in bland colors or styles.
- Upscale attire implies high-quality materials and often designer labels as well. On the other hand, if an outfit appears to be appropriate to wear to work, it's likely not appropriate for upscale club attire.
