I was leaving Mark's Work Wearhouse when I nearly collided with another woman. We were the only two in the entire parking lot, but somehow, we ended up doing the two step to avoid a collision with each other. I believe the reason this was happening was because she was looking at the dress I was wearing. I know that because she said, "I was just noticing what a nice spring dress you have on". Of course, a simple "thank you" is not adequate for Faye. Oh no, no, I have to launch into a long explanation. I informed the total stranger, that I love to wear dresses, and I just said to myself, "you have to wear the dresses you have in order to buy more". I am sure that information she will carry to her grave. I did spare her my usual reply which consists of, where I bought it and how much I paid for it.
I love wearing dresses, except in the wind. For some reason it brings out the little girl in me. My dress collection consists of at home dresses, spring dresses, and the odd fancy dress. I think every woman has a certain length of dress that they feel most comfortable in. I have dresses of all lengths, but mid to lower knee, or long, is the length I enjoy wearing the most.
When I worked I had it all, matching scarves, bracelets and other jewelry. After retirement I got rid of so many outfits and jewelry because I thought I didn't need them. I was right about that, because for the next couple of years I wore sweatpants and sweatshirts as we floundered our way through Covid. How I looked was exactly how I felt, bored! At that time, I had my stay-at-home sweat ensemble and my going out sweat ensemble. I didn't even follow my own rules of wearing earrings and lipstick every day. What a dismal time for us all.
There is a little girl that comes to the gym with her parents. She is always dressed as a princess off of Frozen. Even when she isn't dressed like a princess, to us, she is a princess. She has grown up at the gym and now her baby sister is joining her. When I see a little kid dressed in a superhero costume, I think of what freedom of dress they have. Their parents are allowing their child to dress as they want and to use their imagination. They are given permission to wear what they love to wear.
When I was in Italy I rode in the elevator with a young man, probably 25-30 years old. He had 2 suits hanging on his luggage. I admired them and said I was from Canada. I went on to share that men in Canada don't wear suits very often. His reply was, "that's too bad". In Italy, I was impressed with how people dressed. It was certainly a country of well-dressed people of all ages.
Often, not always, you can tell who is in charge of an office or business by the way they dress. They are dressed the best. They are what I call "put together". I like the phrase "put together", it refers to a person who is well-dressed, organized and composed. They appear to have their life in order, both in terms of their appearance and their general conduct.
Hockey teams at many levels are required to wear suits to their games. Dressing for success is a great concept and has to build confidence. A dress code is not a bad discipline. The coaches dress the same and when they stand on the bench in a shirt and tie to represent the team, it speaks volumes. Personally, I love to see people and teams "dressed up".
I have a good friend who shares my passion for "glitz and glam". Her belief is you can wear glitter wherever you want, even to the gym. She is right, you can wear whatever you want, wherever you want. It is about having the confidence to dress how you want and pull it off.
I think we all have those times when, even with confidence, that we feel we missed the mark as to what to wear to an event. We have a feeling of being either overdressed or undressed. It usually starts when we can't decide what to wear. For some reason the entire closet is on the bed, and nothing seems to work, and it morphs from there. I have been there, so I decided to put a plan in place. When I know, I am going to an event, I plan what I am going to wear at that time. I can't trust my closet to come up with something at the last minute. It seems if I don't feel confident and comfortable in how I look, it can suck the fun out of the event.
"Casual dress" seems to be the dress code for most events. People used to always dress up for weddings and funerals. In the good ole days going to Church meant a dress and possibly a hat for the women, suit and tie for the men. Now, it is obvious people wear what they are comfortable in. They are there to fill their cup up with faith and that is all that matters.
I recently had a chat with my closet. I told my closet I wasn't really happy with what it had to offer. I am one of those people who if I were given an opportunity to throw everything out of their closet and buy new, I would. I have no attachment to any piece of clothing that I own. I remind myself that fashion is not about the clothes; it's about the way they are put together. It is a form of self-expression and identity. Fashion is the art of wearing your personality. Style is more about being yourself. Everyone needs to feel comfortable in their own style. I found this line that says it all and is the perfect way to end this post.
"Every outfit is a story; make yours a bestseller".
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