Anonymous wrote:OP here.... The invitation didn't specify anything about dress, one way or the other. So.... Should I plan to wear one thing for the service, then change for the party? And.... Is a black dress okay? I would not wear black to a wedding, but is it appropriate for the Bat Mitzvah party?

Wear a dress. Wear heels. You can wear the same dress to both, and yes, it's fine if it's black. No boobs (you'll be in a temple for the service, which is the equivilent of being in a church).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignore pps. It is like a wedding. NOT a shower. Is it black tie? Wear what you would wear to a wedding. Is it at a hotel? The temple? The venue should indicate how fancy it is. To the service, a suit will work. Either a dressy one if you have it, or a regular work suit. Just err on the side of conservative for the service (no bare shoulders) but don't worry about that for the party at all.

Well, if the invitation said black tie then I'm guessing OP wouldn't have asked. I'd agree that a suit would work well. And I personally wouldn't wear a suit to a wedding, would you? I mean, i would if i were 50+, maybe. But otherwise I'd wear a nice dress to a bat mitzvah, like PPs suggested.

Please stop posting here. You clearly don't know about bat mitzvahs. There is a service portion and a party. You wear something different for each. One is a religeous ceremony in a synogague during the day, the other is an evening celebratory affair. I simply don't understand why you come to a thread like this looking for a fight.

I'm sorry to have offended you, bat mitzvah expert who can spell neither "religious" nor "synagogue." I wasn't the one looking for a fight, but am amused by your seriously defensive/offensive reply to my comment about how a "nice dress" would do, unless it said "black tie." I'm from NY and have been to two of these events, and have always been properly dressed. But maybe women like you mocked me behind my back, given the cute personality of yours that keeps coming through.

In LA people wear the same thing they wear to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs here:

for an a.m. service, with party at night:
suit or simple day dress for service (with nice jewelry and shoes and a pretty top, so you look a little more dressed up than for work) and cocktail dress at night;

for an evening service, followed by a party immediately after:
suit with a dressy top underneath -- then take off the jacket for the party; cocktail dress with a simple wrap

Tons of women wear black, of course, so that's fine if it works for you, but a pretty color is also perfectly appropriate -- e.g, just not too wild --deep green or cobalt blue, but not fire-engine red.

If you wear something that will bare shoulders or show cleavage (which is totally fine for an evening reception for a Bat Mitzvah) then bring and wear a shawl while in synagogue. If it is a Saturday night reception treat it as if it were formal, Saturday night implies dark suit or tux and semi formal/formal for a woman. If it is any other night then a nice cocktail dress is fine. For sat night you can even wear a cocktail dress and dress it up with accessories.

I have been to about a hundred of these in New York, so I have a little experience. I think LA is comparable.

What is the restaurant?