WEARING
James Perse brushed jersey turtleneck (old)
James Perse ruched pencil skirt
Spanx Tights
Brooks Brothers outlet camelhair blazer
Rag & Bone Harrow booties
Francesco Biasia Brooke Tote (courtesy of Forzieri)
I’m in Atlanta now for a while, and I love the cold weather and colorful trees; I didn’t realize how much I missed the trees changing until now. It’s cold here, but sunny, so it’s perfect weather in my opinion. We had the bris Thursday afternoon, and while the family is a mix of orthodox and reform, I never considered wearing anything other than a skirt. Leo wore his suit and his son wore nice pants and a shirt tucked in. But the majority of attendees at the bris wore jeans, t-shirts, and just whatever they had thrown on. I was a little surprised, although I probably shouldn’t have been. I think today, we (the royal we) wear whatever is comfortable or whatever we feel like wearing, regardless of the situation. Maybe I’m too “old fashioned” or traditional when it comes to dressing myself and how I expect my family to dress, but I have always felt that a religious ceremony calls for some sartorial thought.
Indeed, in my opinion, leaving one’s house is an occasion to dress for (you know my opinions on leggings as pants, exercise wear as “clothing” and I’m sure you can guess how I feel about pajamas at breakfast). When we still lived in Atlanta, Leo and I went to the symphony frequently, and we both always “dressed up” not simply because that is what is expected, but because we treated it as an “event” – something to “dress” for, although most attendees wore jeans (and not necessarily “nice” jeans). Dressing up always lends an air of excitement to anything I think, although maybe it’s easier to just wear jeans and a t-shirt all the time. Unfortunately, it appears to also be easier to give less thought to what others may need or expect from you in terms of your clothing choices than worrying about norms and rules about what to wear where. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.
Dressing appropriately is a sign of respect – both to yourself and others. Wearing clean clothes, real shoes (not flip-flops), and making sure you don’t have holes in your shirt or tears in your sweater shows that you care about your appearance and that you respect anyone else you may see enough to “dress” for them. It also shows that you respect yourself enough to put some thought into your clothing choices.
Are you surprised by the way people dress for going “out” or for religious ceremonies? Don’t even get me started on how people dress for travel…
You go, girl! First, you look great. Really put-together and polished.
Yes, I am surprised by the way others dress INappropriately. Just got back from a Med cruise to Italy, and insisted that the hubby dress “nicely” during the day – as in no tennis shoes, no jeans, no t-shirts – rather dockers, collared shirts. Some of the other people were dressed like they were going gardening. I explained it to hubby that we should be “respectful”, and jeans and t-shirts are not. Don’t get me wrong, I can dress casually, but I also feel that dressing nicely when I’m with other people somehow shows that I’m happy to be with them – that they (or the event) was worth the effort.
Does that make sense?
Thank you!
I completely agree with you! It is an act of respect and it’s appreciated. (Besides, where else am I going to wear all my fun dresses?)
I’m in total agreement. I don’t mind being casually dressed when the moment calls for it (such as the beach, or running out to the grocery store in a pinch and wearing my jeans and a tee, plus TOMS). But I feel that we’ve become SO casual that there isn’t ANY situation that people consider worthy of dressing for. I love dressing up and I’d consider it a wasted opportunity to show-off how well I “clean up” if I didn’t dress for church, going shopping, or out to the movies. I like showing my style and see that as an extension of my personality. Plus, I like it when my husband dresses for a ‘date’ the way he knows I like him to look: dark jeans or khakis, a nice crisp oxford shirt and a v-neck sweater, or, what I call his “Mikael Blomkvist” look: Dark jeans, short boots, a dark shirt and dark heavy knit cardi …as personified by Daniel Craig in the “Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.” It speaks of effort, of caring. So let’s all start a new movement and call it “Dressed-up Mondays” or something! 😉
Maybe they think they are emulating the “model off duty” look? ;-p
Most people don’t know how to dress, or want to think about it, so they follow whatever the prevailing trend is. And these days the prevailing trend is definitely casual.
That said, I think in NYC/New England/the Midwest people probably dress up more, if only because the weather demands it and “looking polished” is definitely a thing. Or maybe that’s just my family?