So the heavens are smiling on you. You won the ticket lottery or better yet, the person of your dreams has asked you to go to the 350th ball next weekend. Now comes the hard part.

What do you wear?

For guys, the answer is relatively easy. Black tie means a black tuxedo jacket with black pants and a white pleated shirt. Male ball-goers interested in getting a little more formal may want to trade in the tuxedo jacket for a tailcoat.

Despite the name, black tie does not mean that men must sport a black tie. In fact, many men satisfy their zest for flamboyance by sporting silk and satin cummerbunds in bright colors and madras patterns.

Unlike their escorts, however, female ball-goers face a dizzying array of apparel choices. Basically, anything that wouldn't look ridiculous beside a tuxedo goes. Gown lengths range from floor length to well above the knee, and most dresses are usually made of some combination of lace, taffeta, silk, satin and velvet.

"There is really no dress code. People should wear what they feel most comfortable in, although it should also be their best stuff," says Elizabeth Gillis '82, co-chairman of the committee which planned the event. "I'll be wearing a very simple black dress."

While Cinderella's fairy godmother may have materialized a dress out of thin air, real life ballgoers still must go out shopping to find the right clothing to celebrate Harvard's big bash in style.

Prince Charming

Tuxedos are particularly appropriate for the 350th ball because it takes place exactly 100 years after the first tuxedo was worn in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. on October 11, 1886, Gillis says.

When searching for a tuxedo, men should look for "comfort, a good fabric and of course a good fit," says Lowell resident Mischa A. Frusztajer '89, a member of the Krokodiloes. A good quality tuxedo retails for $300 to $500.

At the Crimson Shop, 16 Dunster St., the undergraduate tuxedo business has been heavier than usual. "We've sold a couple of dozen tuxedos since the end of the summer," says one store employee. The Crimson Shop's tropical wool tuxedo jacket and pants set retails for $315.

However for those undergraduates who don't have a lot of money to burn, Keezer's Harvard Community Exchange, at 140 River St., has probably been Harvard students' most popular source of second-hand formal wear for years. "It's the busiest September we've ever had. We can't even keep track of the sales," says Leonard I. Goldstein, who runs Keezer's. "There's a whole new shipment coming in Monday."

Keezer's sells both new and used tuxedos at prices substantially less than department stores. A new tropical wool jacket sells for $97.50, while new pants retail for $45. Used clothing is even less expensive; jackets are $35, and pants are $12.50.

Ruffles Are Out

Undergraduates appear to prefer jackets with shawl collars (rounded style), although the notch collar (as on a sports jacket) is also popular, says Goldstein. "The shawl collar is a more classic style," says Frusztajer, who owns several tuxes for on-stage performances.