What are you so dressed up for?
Have you ever kicked up your style of dress then gone to work or school to be asked, “What are you so dressed up for?” How did it make you feel? Maybe like smacking someone?? Or perhaps like crawling under a rug? It is certainly not uncommon that how we dress is influenced by those around us – in our country, our state, our town, our place of work, etc, etc……..Some factors may affect how much you want to ‘blend in’ versus not: teenagers and pre-teens are a group that on the whole, looking the same is important to them – have you ever seen a group of teenage girls walking through a mall – all dressed alike!!! At one point last year, it was all Uggs and North Face jackets……an individual’s personality has much to do with how much they conform to a style or go out on their own, not afraid of being labeled ‘weirdo’ (yeah, that’s me, call me weirdo….). Age is likely another factor – it seems that many people care less about what others think as they get older and are more interested in pleasing themselves. That is the point of this post: Are you dressing how YOU want to dress?
Take notice of the people around you each day at work, or wherever your day takes you…..do you like what you see? Are you in a place where attire is unimportant, and how do you feel about that? Ginger never even worked outside the home, but she was very fashion conscious and learned a lot from observing others and not being afraid to ask questions – to strangers, to salespeople in retail stores, you name it….just because all your coworkers dress very casually with little attention to makeup or accessories, does not mean you can’t be different – you might actually start a trend and kick up the whole office!
Since I was a pre-teen, I always liked being ahead of a fashion trend and dressing up more than my peers….at middle age, I have not changed, but I do realize the importance of dressing appropriate for the occasion to be sure my attire sends the right message…..the fur cape in top pic says “ready for fun” – that’s not something for work…. photo above with Peter was taken a few years back at daughter Hayley’s college graduation…..the vast majority of people were way more casually dressed, but to me, the message of our clothes said “this is a serious occasion”…..ok, yeah, I also felt so chic!
Shopping at Revolve several months ago, a tall blonde woman tried on a very stylish coat with fur trim – she looked like amazing in it, and I remember saying, “You have to get that”!!! She said “Where would I wear it?”……… “Everywhere!!! Anywhere!!” YOLO ladies – if you like it, wear it!
Would love to hear from you on what your daily influences are like……do they hold you back or inspire you?
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5 Comments
Wow Candy – this is all so true! I remember the days when travelers would (look forward to and) dress up to fly. Then it went to casual to total sloppy! The defense was that business people did not want to draw attention to themselves! REALLY? It is the business people on flights that look so put together! They are not the ones that went sloppy! Traveling to a wonderful vacation destination? DONT dress in your beach clothes already! Remember you have airports and transfers and oh yes – HELLO! Checking in to your hotel! SCHLEPP is the new (or not so new) norm! Americans wonder why they are respected little in European countries! They schlepp into places of respect like museums and cathedrals etc in sweats and sneakers ( as in the worn and went through the wash a hundred times type).
I love that my grand daughters will dress in dresses and pretty skirts to go anywhere! Even to play in the house for the day! DRESS UP ladies! Play dress up every day! Make life fun like when you were a little girl and loved to “play dress up”
I used to be of the mindset that I needed to “save” my good stuff for only “good” places! I used to impale that on my daughter as well! She still laughs about it when it comes up and thankfully she and I have let that one go! How sad would it be to have all my cherished beautiful clothes sitting barely worn if tomorrow was my day to depart my physical life?
Sometimes I feel like when I dress up I draw attention to myself and sometimes I get embarrassed by comments and then I shake it off, it is all about ME and how I feel!
LOL, Candy – can you tell this is a subject near and dear to me!
Love your blog! You dare to go where others won’t and you bring respect and feminine and gorgeous back to the limelight! Keep it up! You are an inspiration!
Cheers and now I am going to go and get all dressed up to go to the gym! LOL
Thank you so much Linda for taking the time to write such an interesting, thoughtful comment – it actually brought tears to my eyes because you obviously understand and made the point that we wear is not insignificant, not just superficial – it affects how we FEEL, and that’s an important part of life. THANK YOU!
You’re making me rethink my work attire! Even though I wear blue scrubs(ICU attire) and sneakers, maybe it’s time to pair the ugly blue bottoms with a nicer top 🙂
Hi Candy, love this message.. I often think about the years my mother and aunts we’re going to travel. They grew up through their teen age years in Endland. When ever they traveled it was appropriate suits w/ gloves and hats. When I travel as I often do these day in can’t help notice how sloppy people dress….tee shirts and sneakers seem to be the rule……even airline stewardess/ stewards dress down….so often they are so casual and messy. I remember years ago all the air line hostesses were dressed impeccably, dark blue suits w/ white shirts …very professional attire. It is as the previous blogger (Linda) noted…. It is a terrible reflection on our American culture…sad but true!!love reading your blogs.
Linda is on the right track, but “schlepp” isn’t the correct word, that means to carry or haul something. I think she means “slob”.
It’s frustrating to hear women say, “Where will I wear it?” when it’s not something all THAT dressy. It’s a sad commentary on our culture when a woman is embarrassed to look nice.