It's better to be overdressed than underdressed

This is the best picture I could find to illustrate the feeling of being underdressed... It's not the best example, but I'm sure all of you know what it feels like.

Let me just warn you now that this is often a pet peeve of mine. Knowing when and where to wear what is an extremely important skill that everyone needs to know. A lot of people seem to think that it doesn't matter what you are wearing at a certain event because we all shouldn't care about what other people think of us, or we just want to be comfortable or some other reason that we come up with for an excuse. In reality, knowing how to dress appropriately at certain events and places just shows what a refined and respectable person you are. By dressing appropriately you are showing your respect for the host and are also avoiding the embarrassment of being the only person not dressed for the occasion. Not only that- but if you are dressed nicely and appropriately, your confidence will be boosted, and you guessed it, you will feel better merely by looking better.

A good rule of thumb to go by is that when in doubt, dress up rather than dress down. If you go to an event in jeans while everyone else is wearing dresses, you will feel rather self conscious and like you don't take it seriously. If you show up to something in a dress while everyone else is wearing jeans however, you are still looking great and won't feel as embarrassed. Guys- this rule is for you too! I often see so many couples in public where the girl is dressed in her best while the guy is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. This simply isn't ok. Guys can put on a collared shirt with slacks just as easily as they can put on jeans, so why not look better? And at least like you deserve to be with such an attractive woman? :)

If anything, getting dressed up should be something to look forward to as opposed to something that everyone dreads. We get to wear jeans and casual wear almost everywhere. It's not that often that girls or guys get to fancy themselves up and go all out, so we should enjoy it when we have the opportunity! A good example is going out to the theater for a broadway show or nice concert. Look at this as an opportunity to dress up and look your best while enjoying some culture. Not only will you feel better about yourself, but you are showing your respect for the people putting on the show.

I'd like to end with a few events and places that should ALWAYS be dressed up for.

Wedding receptions

Church

Formal dances (I hope that's obvious)

Broadway shows or events like unto them

Formal concerts (such as the symphony)

Award ceremonies (such as graduations)

Business meetings

Interviews (no matter where you are interviewing for)

Nice restaurants

And any other place throwing a formal party or event, such as a charity ball

I suppose I should also give a rough definition of what dressing up means. It means in short - NO jeans (or anything denim really), NO tennis shoes, NO tee shirts, and NO flip flops. There are other rules than this, but if you follow this, you can't go TOO wrong. I will probably write another blog about dressing up, so don't worry! If you look at dressing up as a way of getting to look your best, you will then be able to look forward to such events as opposed to dreading them. Until next time!

Also- if you have any ideas that you want to see on this blog- then just let me know! Comments are always helpful as well!