What is your threshold of "dressing up"?

In My Humble Opinion
1

And how often do you do it, and how willingly?

Okay, so we have one thread where a guy is iffy about wearing a jacket to a job interview, and another where a guy wants to take his mom to Ruth’s Chris, and asked about a dress code. That was the first one that started me wondering, because he phrased it in terms of what he could wear to get in to RC, not what was appropriate to wear to dinner, with his mom, at a tablecloth joint, dress code or not.

There do seem to be quite a few people here who have some sort of allergy to anything more formal than jeans. But then there’s that other thread discussing candid photos from the 1950s, which brought the inevitable “Look how nicely people dressed back then!” Funny thing, though: when I see photos like that, I think “Look how impractically people had to dress back then!” Women couldn’t run in those shoes. And it took both genders a lot longer to get dressed, and they both suffered in the heat, and you know, at the end of the day, you were still poor.

So I can see why clothing styles relaxed in the past couple generations, especially since society in general was loosening up. Nowadays, some people still choose to put effort into their appearance, and I don’t think people necessarily look less respectable just because guys aren’t wearing hats all the time. OTOH, some people seem to be picky dressers, the way we talk about picky eaters: they don’t like to go outside their comfort zone.

So the question is, where is your comfort zone? For instance, I love to wear skirts and dresses, but that’s my choice, and I’d be uncomfortable if society said I couldn’t wear jeans, or if I was forced to wear pumps every time I went out. Some women don’t like to wear a skirt, but do think of themselves as dressed up if they wear tailored slacks to an event, while others simply avoid events where they’d have to modify their appearance. Some guys would only wear a suit if they were the defendant, some have their suits custom-made, and others are in that gray area where the suit they (are forced to) wear to the office is the symbol of everything they hate about their life. So which are you? Sorry I can’t make this a poll.

2

I hate having to wear anything dressy, I’m just not comfortable in it. And it’s just not practical for where I live (got over 35 feet of snow this year, and we live on a dirt road. Hiking boots are pretty much a requirement 6 months out of the year).
I can wear pretty much whatever I want to work. So it’s either jeans, carharts or occasionaly shorts.

3

I wear a tie more often than not, even on the weekends. On Sundays I wear a tie to church (8am mass) and likely won’t bother to take it off the rest of the day unless there is yard work or hiking to be done.

4

I have an incredible talent for putting together absolutely stunning ensembles, and absolutely no interest in dressing up. People have paid me to go through their closets and put things together, yet mostly I wear sweats, tshirts and sneakers.

When I do dress up, people’s jaw just drop.

5

I love dressing up. I always feel more confident when I look nice. Also, people DO treat you differently. If you’re well groomed you get much different service, pretty much everywhere, than if you look like a slob (I’m saying this having gone out of the house looking like a slob). Now, I don’t know if it’s the clothing or the confidence, but I suspect the clothing plays a large part.

Also, I have no problem running in a dress and heels - I used to have to do it when I took the bus to work everyday. Now, there are SOME dresses and SOME heels that I can’t run in, but for the most part it’s not a big deal.

I will say that since I had Junior I do tend to choose more washable fabrics, but cotton and linen are both washable and can look very well turned out.

6

If it’s a funeral or something like that, I’ll wear the pressed black jeans with a sedate Hawaiian shirt. And leather walking shoes instead of my usual cross-trainers. That’s it.

7

Anything nicer than a polo shirt (untucked, always), pants, and my comfortable shoes from LL Bean (or clogs or Birkenstocks) is dressing up for me. That includes all skirts and dresses, high heels other than wedges less than 2", and makeup.

Dressing up happens only if I have to, I change out of the dressy clothes as soon as I can, and I make every effort to avoid eating in dressy clothes. Dressy clothes get low priority in the laundry queue, because I wear them so seldom, and they don’t tend to be made with stain resistance in mind.

In practice, I wear dressy clothes only if I go to synagogue on Shabbat or a holiday, or if I go to a job interview. And I make every effort to go home and change right away afterward.

I have a very strong preference for jobs that don’t make me dress up more than I’d like to. If I had to choose between a lower-paid job in a casual or business-casual environment and a higher-paid one where I had to dress up, I’d have to be paid a lot more to consider the job where I had to dress up. Fortunately, I’m in IT, where dress codes at work (other than “all the important stuff covered”) are rare. This fact did have something to do with my choice of career.

I don’t go to restaurants that have dress codes beyond “no shirt, no shoes, no service”. It’s very rare for me to go out to a play or something where I have to dress up, and when it happens, Mr. Neville knows he owes me major big time for agreeing to do it. Dressy events like weddings are pretty rare for us.

Makeup happens pretty much only if I’m having a picture taken that is going to haunt me for a while (such as a driver’s license or passport photo), or if I’m going to an interview.

I’m extremely glad that pantyhose are out of fashion now. I will keep to this fashion all my life, at least on every occasion when there’s any chance I can get away with it. If I do have to wear stockings, they’re almost always knee-highs, not pantyhose.

8

I would wear skirts and dresses if I didn’t hate my legs. I really like the look of skirts on other people, and the thought of getting dressed by throwing one thing over your head and calling it done is very appealing.

I work in Tech Services in a library, which means I have no contact with the public, so I can wear whatever I want. This was a big plus when I accepted the job, as I tend to live in jeans when I’m on my own, but to my surprise I’ve found that I just spontaneously feel like dressing more formally than that most days of the week. I like feeling polished and well-put-together. Dressing up for work means wearing nice trousers (ironed too!), a nice blouse or sweater, and heels. The added benefit to this is when I do walk around in the public areas of the library, I’m distinguishable from the college kids.

However if I had to dress like this every day and were never allowed to wear jeans, I’d be bummed out. Right now I’m wearing jeans with a belt, a knit cotton shirt with embroidery on the collar and 3/4-length sleeves, and these very casual sandals. So, not totally sloppy, but not dressy either. I feel very good. :slight_smile:

9

I love dressing up too, and never find it uncomfortable. That is, assuming some level of air conditioning. Here in Florida during the summer, you can be uncomfortable no matter what you’re wearing. :slight_smile:

10

For everyday wear, I’m often found in yoga pants and a t-shirt, or a hippie skirt and a cotton top. Shoes are generally sandals in the warm months (I have a sick fondness for those plastic sandals from Walgreens, honestly), chunky heeled boots in the cold. I have two pairs of stiletto heals the SO really “appreciates”, however, so I wear them at least once a month or so. :wink:

But I love dressing up. Love it. The more formal, the better. Can’t afford it, can’t afford to go to places where it’s appropriate, but once in a while the stars align and I get to dress like a princess.

I’m one of probably 3 women in the world who LOVE to be a Bridesmaid. :smiley:

My nursing class thought I was insane, because I honestly wish nurses still wore little white starched dresses with aprons and white hose and white shoes and caps. Is it practical? Hell, no! But scrubs just look so schlubby, and there’s something so comforting and healing about the sight of a woman in nursing whites. It’s a Jungian thing.

11

Me too. Plus I’m too lazy to type out my own reply.:wink:

12

I try not to wear a T-shirt to work, unless I know there are no meetings that day.

13

I suppose what I consider “business casual” is what many would consider “dressed up”- slacks, button down shirt, blazer. I like dressing like that; I look good and feel good about how I look. If we go out to dinner, or in church, or are invited to someone’s house, that’s what I’ll wear. My wife will be in a casual dress, or a skirt, or sundress, depending on the season. If we’re invited to a barbecue or something, then we’ll go more casual, obviously. But I actually welcome the opportunity to wear one of my suits or a tie, since my office is decidedly of the chinos & golf shirt mindset.

14

Since I retired, I have Carhartt Ts and dress Carhartt Ts (henley style). If we’re going to something like a holiday dinner, I can be cajoled into wearing khakis and a regular shirt. I think I own one tie now in case I’m dragged to a funeral or something.

15

As I’m typing this, instead of working at writing judicial procedures like I should be, I’m wearing dress shoes, dress pants, a dress shirt and a tie. I like dressing this way, am comfortable in it and I don’t have to (my boss dresses casually outside court). The main reason I don’t wear a suit jacket more often is because above chilly temperature, wearing a jacket can get hot. Also, they have to be dry cleaned.

When I go out to say, a bar, the only difference is that I take off the tie.

“Some guys would only wear a suit if they were the defendant”
From what I’ve seen, most defendants won’t even do that.

16

Being in Florida kind of changes the rules a bit. I wear suits to weddings, interviews and other places where one is expected, but otherwise I stay out of them.

At work, I usually wear slacks and dress shoes, but I don’t wear a coat or tie most of the time unless a big client is visiting the office or something. I’ll either wear a polo or an Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

At not work, I’m almost invariably wearing jeans and flip-flops, and I change shirts depending on where I’m going. Nice restaurant, nice shirt, etc.

17

On a daily basis, I’m in jeans and flannel in winter, and cutoffs and t-shirt in summer. But I enjoy dressing up for special occasions, and the fact that I don’t dress up daily means that, for me at least, dressing up adds to the occasion.

So I’ll wear a dark suit for funerals, and a jacket and tie to weddings, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, wedding anniversary dinners, and other special occasions. If I ever have another job interview, I’ll wear a jacket and tie to that. I’ll wear slacks, a good shirt, and a tie to meetings with people several steps up the ladder at work.

18

I like dressing well and tend to dress one level above everyone else if I can. I work in an office where people where khakis and polo shirts so I wear slacks and a button down shirt with shiny shoes. I’d wear a tie as well but I think I would be going too far above everyone else at that point.

I have a very nice suit that I like to wear but I usually only get to wear it once a year. Twice if I am lucky.

19

I live in a very informal country. The last time I wore a suit was three years ago for my BiL’s wedding; when my sister married last summer I wore a nice shirt and pants, since it was an outdoor daytime wedding and I didn’t want to die of heatstroke. The groom dressed pretty much like I did.

“Dressed up”, to me, is an ironed, button-down shirt - light for business, dark for partying - and decent slacks, preferably not khakis. Anything more than that would make me stand out like a well-dressed sore thumb.

20

I don’t even know what the “Dressing up” line is. Any given occasion calls for different clothes.

If I’m zipping over to Wal-Mart to et some stuff I’ll wear a casual shirt and jeans with sneakers.

But if I’m going to the bar to have a few drinks with friends, I’ll wear the same shirt and jeans, but with brown casual shoes.

If I’m going to the bar to perform live comedy, I’ll wear the same outfit but with a specifically chosen button-up shirt.

If I’m going to a casual restaurant for a date I’ll wear the best shirt and jeans I have, plus I’ll ensure to put on my watch.

If I am visiting a customer in a casual office environement, same outfit but with khakis.

If I’m going into the office, I wear a dress shirt and pants with black shoes, but no suit jacket or tie.

If I’m going into the office to do a presentation to co-workers, same outfit but with the jacket.

If I’m going to a job interview, same outfit but with a tie.

If I’m going to a wedding, same outfit.

If I’m going to a really nice dinner party, same outfit but I’ll add cufflinks, a tie clip, and wear a more stylish shirt and tie combo.

If I’m going to MY wedding, a tuxedo.

Seriously, what level begins “dressing up”?