The lost art of dressing for the occasion

[Feraud]

That wedding industry mentality has trickled down to student proms.
I was thrilled to see my son and his peers opt for suits instead of awful tuxedos for their recent senior prom.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Around here we know how to subvert the paradigm.

 

[Undertow]

This is something which struck me as regards the recent "Facebook" wedding, where the groom showed up dressed like this:

top button undone, looking a bit dishevelled, in a suit barely suited to a business meeting....yet he thought this appropriate for his own wedding? :eusa_doh:

Are those loafers? I'm definitely not the fashion police (well, okay, kinda am) but he looks like he made a quick stop to Target, picked up the suit in pieces, found a pair of $35 Nunn Bush loafers, threw on the nearest skinny tie and called it a day. His belt is slung two inches below his belly button, so his normally svelte figure appears fat and saggy. He looks like he just got done drinking too much and making an ass of himself at a frat boy reunion. But who am I to say? I'm sure he's happy with being a sloppy teenager stuck in a billionaire's body...

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

More likely he came directly from the bachelor party to the wedding.

 

[John in Covina]

Sadly the art of dressing for the occasion is almost completly dead Going to church, marriage, restaurant, party, celebration, meeting a women, job interview, travelling or simply for the pleasure of been well dresse. In 2012 it is not friday casual day but always hyper casual day during the whole year. Like other member of the lounge, give me the motivation for going against the grain

Out this way it is rare to see anyone dressed for a meal in a restaurant. The high end places you will see more of it but there is a lot of slack in many places. Tshirt sweats and bedroom slippers is derigor for several segments of society in my area.

Dressing for a party - there are some traditions that are being kept in some segments but so many people I know simply rebel at the idea.

 

[suits lover]

Out this way it is rare to see anyone dressed for a meal in a restaurant. The high end places you will see more of it but there is a lot of slack in many places. Tshirt sweats and bedroom slippers is derigor for several segments of society in my area.

Dressing for a party - there are some traditions that are being kept in some segments but so many people I know simply rebel at the idea.

What you said is true but still, the more time advence the less of these thing I notice. Especially among the peoples in their 20's and 30's.

 

[Kirk H.]

Around here we know how to subvert the paradigm.

Yes, all the makings for a true shotgun wedding and after party...

 

[Miss Stella]

I am amazed at the attire no longer worn to church....my grandmother would have thrashed me a good one for even THINKING of wearing pants let alone shorts!
I am taken aback at the amount of folks who will compliment my "vintage style" and how much they like seeing me "dress up" and yet care not that they are wearing flip flops to church.
And, YES, I wear gloves to church and am currently trying to find a nice hat or two

 

[suits lover]

I am amazed at the attire no longer worn to church....my grandmother would have thrashed me a good one for even THINKING of wearing pants let alone shorts!
I am taken aback at the amount of folks who will compliment my "vintage style" and how much they like seeing me "dress up" and yet care not that they are wearing flip flops to church.
And, YES, I wear gloves to church and am currently trying to find a nice hat or two

I live the same things than you Miss Stella. People telling that it is nice to see a young men well dressed at church or anywere by people alway wearing flip-flop and t-shirt anywere on earth. I hope you will continue to wear your gloves and find some nice dress hats Miss Stella
So few women wear them and it is so nice to look at Sadly vintage women are non-existant were I live... This remind me that last sunday, a small group of peoples were telling that I was dress like aman from the 1940's.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It is a bit sickening what people consider church attire. I see people in short pants, sandals, the whole shebang. Meanwhile, I'm feeling guilty for not wearing a jacket, because it's just too darn hot lately. I miss when the ladies all wore their hats to church, and you'd see the men's hats alongside them in the pew (at least in our church)

The worst was at my friend Jesse's funeral a short while back. My friends and I were in black suits and ties and other people were there in the t-shirts and jeans I saw them wearing at the bar the night before. I even saw one girl that was wearing a shirt that looked like a pack of lifesavers and was so low cut that she couldn't move without practically exposing herself. I'm sorry, I know I'm a relic, but I still can't believe that's seen as acceptable by ANYBODY.

I am amazed at the attire no longer worn to church....my grandmother would have thrashed me a good one for even THINKING of wearing pants let alone shorts!
I am taken aback at the amount of folks who will compliment my "vintage style" and how much they like seeing me "dress up" and yet care not that they are wearing flip flops to church.
And, YES, I wear gloves to church and am currently trying to find a nice hat or two

 

[Pompidou]

I don't go to church, but when I'm waiting for the hoard of churchgoers to cross the street, they tend to be all dressed up, for what it's worth.

 

[Undertow]

I don't attend church either. However, I wear very little if I must attend. Maybe a bed sheet, or an old sack.

It's a shame to lose fine clothes when you catch fire upon entering.

 

[suits lover]

It is a bit sickening what people consider church attire. I see people in short pants, sandals, the whole shebang. Meanwhile, I'm feeling guilty for not wearing a jacket, because it's just too darn hot lately. I miss when the ladies all wore their hats to church, and you'd see the men's hats alongside them in the pew (at least in our church)

The worst was at my friend Jesse's funeral a short while back. My friends and I were in black suits and ties and other people were there in the t-shirts and jeans I saw them wearing at the bar the night before. I even saw one girl that was wearing a shirt that looked like a pack of lifesavers and was so low cut that she couldn't move without practically exposing herself. I'm sorry, I know I'm a relic, but I still can't believe that's seen as acceptable by ANYBODY.

Well, I prefer to be a relic with you AtomicEraTom that join the fan club of the t-shit-jeans crowd.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Well, I'm certainly glad I'm not alone!

Well, I prefer to be a relic with you AtomicEraTom that join the fan club of the t-shit-jeans crowd.

Funny, I have a friend who lives across the street from me and never comes over, but I'm over at his place almost weekly. His roommate jokes that he won't set foot in my house because of all the crucifixes and pictures of Jesus and such on the walls.

I don't attend church either. However, I wear very little if I must attend. Maybe a bed sheet, or an old sack.

It's a shame to lose fine clothes when you catch fire upon entering.

 

[John in Covina]

I am taken aback at the amount of folks who will compliment my "vintage style" and how much they like seeing me "dress up" and yet care not that they are wearing flip flops to church.

Many people look at church as entertainment and are there to simply "watch" like it is a TV show more than anything.
They may feel you're providing some costuming to add to the production value.

The concept of women wearing a hat (head covering) to church is very old, go for it.

 

[kamikat]

It is a bit sickening what people consider church attire. I see people in short pants, sandals, the whole shebang. Meanwhile, I'm feeling guilty for not wearing a jacket, because it's just too darn hot lately. I miss when the ladies all wore their hats to church, and you'd see the men's hats alongside them in the pew (at least in our church)

I don't go to church any more but back when I did, my priest held the view that he'd rather have people attend in shorts and t-shirts than stay home because they felt like they didn't have the right clothing.

 

[Chaps]

I'm sorry, I know I'm a relic, but I still can't believe that's seen as acceptable by ANYBODY.

I'm right there with you! Relics Unite!

 

[Drappa]

I don't go to church any more but back when I did, my priest held the view that he'd rather have people attend in shorts and t-shirts than stay home because they felt like they didn't have the right clothing.

Exactly. We tend to forget that many people don't actually have formal clothing any more. Since most situations nowadays allow casual clothing, some people simply don't own a Sunday Best outfit.
Besides, although I appreciate people dressing up for formal occasions, it doesn't make one a bigger believer or more dedicated to one's faith to dress up for church.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

I always hear when people are asked to dress nicely that there's nowhere to buy nice clothes for cheap. I always send them to the St. Vinnies or Goodwill in town. There's more slacks than blue jeans on the rack and never less than 50 suits or jackets to pick from. You can buy a nice suit there for 12 dollars. If you can't afford that, tell ya what, I'll buy it for you! lol

I remember a while back I was trying to make a point of buying leather shoes. I went searching for them everywhere, but had no luck. Plenty of expensive shoes, but no leather!! I was shocked. I ended up going to Goodwill and I found some very nice leather shoes. After I got home, my mom had a good look at them and was surprised they only cost me 15 dollars (and I thought that was pricey). She felt the shoes were worth well over than what the store was charging for them. Sometimes, at Goodwill you get lucky.

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I have seen many cases where I was at a formal event and was sadden by how poorly people were dressed. There have even been times where I was at a casual event or place and people were poorly dressed. I not only find this disrespectful to the people you are in company with, but also disrespectful to yourself. However, with that being said. Do I think that people should be judged for their character based solely by how they dress? Of course not. Many people choose what they are going to wear or what clothes to buy for all sorts of reasons. For some it's all about fitting in to a particular crowd and for others it might be just a situation of not having enough money to buy "nicer clothes" or the resources and skills to make it yourself.

Whenever I go to a vintage show, I see people in all kinds of clothes. Some people dress vintage (which is always fun to see) and others dress in casual clothes (hey, they have to be there for a reason). If I see a person at a vintage event dressed up in casual clothes, I don't look down on them and think they are ruining the "ambiance". They are not any less of a fan of vintage than a person that dressed up in vintage clothes. There are all kinds of reasons why a person would not dress up in vintage. Some people find that dressing up vintage can be very intimidating or as I found through my experience, nice vintage clothes can be very expensive. One of my friends confessed to me (even though his hat was vintage), most of his vintage look last year at the Ticket to the Twenties event was all thanks to Macys.

It's funny that everybody's idea of what clothes they feel are their "personal best" is different. For some it might be a suit, some semi-casual, and others casual. I think the real problem lies with not how casual the clothes are, but the fit and showing up in PJs (unless you are a small child) in public. lol

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

The worst was at my friend Jesse's funeral a short while back. My friends and I were in black suits and ties and other people were there in the t-shirts and jeans I saw them wearing at the bar the night before. I even saw one girl that was wearing a shirt that looked like a pack of lifesavers and was so low cut that she couldn't move without practically exposing herself. I'm sorry, I know I'm a relic, but I still can't believe that's seen as acceptable by ANYBODY.

I can't believe they thought that was appropriate attire for a funeral. Examples like this make me very sad (or very mad depending on my mood).