A few weeks ago, a reader left a comment that made me think about the things we wear every day and why we wear them. She was asking for advice on what to do when people ask “why are YOU so dressed up?” As if wearing something cute that makes you feel good is a “strange” thing to do!
That comment got me thinking about dressing up and what that means.
Since when did it become an unusual thing to put effort into what you wear and have fun with fashion? Since when is anyone not wearing sweatpants and a hoodie breaking unwritten social rules? Why should “dressing up” be reserved for special occasions only?
I was immediately inspired to create this list. I firmly believe in “dressing up” every day of your life, and I think you should too!
So why dress up? Here are 25 good reasons.
1. Because life’s too short to blend in. Don’t settle for average.
2. Because you’re only young once. You’re way more gorgeous than you know and have a fabulous body you’ll one day look back on and wish you had! Take advantage now and show off how fabulous you can be.
3. Because fashion is a method of self expression. What are you trying to say?
4. Because you never know who you’ll run into. Brad Pitt at the grocery store? Hey, stranger things have happened.
5. Because it obviously annoys closed-minded people (like the guy who asks why YOU are so dressed up). The fact that it annoys them so much is all the more reason to keep doing it. They don’t get to control YOU.
6. Because you never know, there’s always a chance you could get snapped by The Sartorialist!
7. Because you deserve to look your best at all times if you want to.
8. Because you’ll never improve your sense of style if your default look is “I give up”. Yes, that was a Seinfeld reference. But it’s true! If fashion is important to you, make it a priority in your life.
9. Because dressing up helps you weed out friends who don’t love you for you. If they have a problem with the way you dress, they’re not the kind of friends you want around.
10. Because cute clothes and accessories are a great conversation starter. Wear something fabulous and people will ask you where you got it.
11. Because parties aren’t the only time to celebrate.
12. Because that fabulous party dress in your closet cost too much to only be worn once. Remember cost per wear?
13. Because it’s fun and can boost your mood!
14. Because even if you live in an “unstylish” city and are scared to dress up, cities don’t become stylish without someone going first. I know it sounds cheesy, but be the change you want to see in the world. Everyone else can follow your fabulous lead.
15. Because dressing up helps you make fashion mistakes and get past them. Mistakes happen to everyone and that’s how you learn what not to do – get them out of the way now!
16. Because it’s a test of your confidence. Dressing unconventionally forces you to develop the self-assurance necessary to stand out from everyone else.
17. Because fashion is one of the rare instances where art comes alive. What artistic statement do you want to make?
18. Because if you’ve got it (great style, killer confidence, amazing legs), it’s just wrong not to flaunt it.
19. Because someday when you have a 9-5 corporate job and are required to wear business suits, you’re going to miss the freedom of dress you had in college. Experiment now! There’s no better time.
20. Because glamour isn’t only reserved for the rich and famous, even though maybe they’d like you to believe it is.
21. Because if conspiracy theorists are to be believed, the world might end any day now. Don’t spend your theoretical final days in sweats.
22. Because Carrie Bradshaw would not approve of your sweatpants and UGG boots. You can do better than that. And deep down, you know I’m right.
23. Because dressing well means you don’t have to do your hair at all – you’ll have that ultra fabulous, slightly disheveled Kate Moss look.
24. Because nothing beats the rush you feel when you look in the mirror and LOVE what you see.
25. Because you want to. That’s the only reason that matters.
Why do YOU dress up?
What do you think? Do you make an effort to dress up every day? What inspires you to put effort into your look? Tell me what you think by leaving a comment.
the way I see it, I dress up for parties, for dates, obviously for boys I´m interested in, so why not dress up for me. I dress up for church, because if I can do it for a guy I can do it for God too. If you start doing it for yourself and what matters to you, you won´t care what people think, and people will notice the confidence. It´s not hard, its been said, it only takes one item to do it, make a statement!
So I´m REALLY looking forward to dressing up for University this September haha!
I love this post! my mom always encourages me to dress up. (to be honest I only own two T-shirts, the rest is blouses and dresses). I love to look different, to ‘pop’ out of the usual grayness. Beside, dressing up for yourself means you love being yourself; expressing your own unique style with confidence to the world. And like Coco Chanel said, ‘it’s only polite’. Celebrate everyday! 😀
This has got to be my favourite article of yours! 😀
I loved it, and I’m gonna dress up for college now, and I don’t care about the weird looks I get. I love getting ready for nights out, so why can’t I enjoy getting ready for college?!?
i agree with the first poster~!! i’m only 18 and i’m STILL getting asked “where you going?” , “whats the occasion?” “date tonight?” but once you’ve seen the person a few times, they get the drift. its just you. i like clothes, and to me, its not dressed up. blouses, blazers, dresses, coats, these aren’t fancy. they’re everyday wear ^^ i can rock a tee and jeans too, im just not a slave to it.
whats wrong with high heels and boots? i LIKE leather, i don’t need a reason to dress nice.
and frankly, since i’m not a mall-rat, EVERY ONE thinks im much older >;3
I was 15 being mistaken for 20-sumthin. hehe so i snagged all the handsome older men while everyone i knew where peddling the teeny-boppers.
hmmmmm delicious~!!! now i’m legal, i can say my real age, but i still masquerade as a 26 year old waitress lolol just anouthre plus, girls~
Omg, people ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask me why I’m so “dressed up” and sometimes i just “answer” with a polite smile and a thank you… even though the way they say it isn’t meant as a compliment, at all. Other times when I’m not in such a good mood i just say.. “umm, i’m not dressed up” cause half the time i honestly don’t think i am! I mean maybe my definition of casual and other people’s is just completely different… For example when I’m dressed really casual i usually wear a simple cute jersey dress, one that i can just throw on and pair with some sandals or flats and go. Every time i wear stuff like that people think I’m dressed up… however, i don’t think i am.
I guess it’s cause i refuse to walk around in sweats and t-shirts so my replacement for that are my “lazy dresses” the same one’s that other people wear when they are “dressed up”.
When i do dress up, i wear nice fancy dresses and even if they are completely appropriate for the occasion people always tell me i look “so dressed up”.
Whatever. I like to look nice and i will continue to “dress up” EVERYDAY!
I think that Coco Chanel said it in such a cute way:
“I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”
There are others, but:
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”
This was a really good article. I love to dress up, I dress up almost every school day. It feels really good when you dress up and someone is not wearing the same thing as you, It makes you feel diffrent but in the good way, It’s also a good way to get noticed. My younger sisters hate it when I dress up for school, but I LOVE IT!!
This is such a great article. As a mother of four kids under ten, it’s all too easy to fall into the sweats and sweatshirt, pony tail and fast (if any) make up look that somehow becomes the entire day’s wear. Sure, we plan to change into something nicer when we get done dropping off kids or doing that quick errand, but then once home, there’s reading the mail, returning calls, laundry, chores and somehow, that outfit without the waistband is still on.
I realized this was happening to me by my third child. I was great at getting to the gym after each child to get back my body. The work out was great for mind, body and spirit. I realized, why do I have to look like I am in work out clothes all day every day even though I do work out? I decided to make a change.
I went to TJ Max, Target, Kohl’s, and stores where I could find bargain slacks–yes, with a waist band and even belt at times, and started buying a few items here and there with–YES, button down shirts that were, get this, for no reason other than to add layer, color, depth and warmth. I found other moms, even dads at times looking at me. “Oh you look nice today,” I would be told. “Where are you going?” In the beginning, I actually said, “Oh, meeting my Dad for lunch.” Where and why that came out of my mouth, I don’t know. It took two more years of doing this outfit deal, 75% of the time, before being straight and saying, “You know, I’m just sick of looking like a mom of four kids who owns no clothes with waist bands. The habit of being pregnant, pre and post.” I would tell other women, try it, and they did. I found myself asking, “Are you going somewhere? You look so nice.” My best answer was “No, just doing what you gave me the guts to do. Look good for myself.” Andrea
great post! I totally agree.. dressing up everyday gives you a little something more to look forward too.. so what if people stare right? what’s important is that you feel great about yourself 😀
Wow, I love this post! Every single point in it is so true!
This is something I always struggle with; I like pretty clothes, but I feel guilty for spending so much time or effort with how I look. I feel that fashion is shallow and superficial or at least not as beneficial as many other activities (one reason why I decided early on not to be a fashion designer). Even your listed reasons did not really help the matter (sorry).
The only non-self-absorbed and practical reasons I can think of are:
1. Making a good impression on university staff and potential employers (and who knows when you’ll bump into them).
2. Fairly representing yourself to others. Others make assumptions from how you dress so why misrepresent yourself with wearing bland or stereotypical clothing?
3. It takes around the same amount of effort finding pretty clothes as run-of-the-mill clothes.
4. It might make an easier transition between wearing clothes only because of their comfort no matter the appearance and dressing in business casual as many of us will have to.
5. I personally sew much of my own clothing, and I’d rather sew clothes that are pretty, not boring.
I really don’t want to be the sort of person who takes pictures of their outfits to see how photogenic they are or who keeps a clothing calender to make sure people don’t see them in the same dress twice. I feel my energy is better spent elsewhere. Will the fact that a certain person saw me wearing the same dress twice be so important to me thirty years later? I hope not.
Thank you so much for posting this!! My friend and i love to talk about fashion and her style is very classic cool and casual (lots of plaid!) and mine is much more girly (lots of skirts!) so when i shop with her i’ll pick up a skirt and she’ll say something like, “that’s cute, but i’d never wear it cuz its too dressy for school” It makes me angry because usually i really want it. It doesnt bother me enough that i don’t try it on but its still annoying 🙁
Absolutely fabulous post!
I live in an area full of your standard country people. Pretty much everywhere I go I can find someone in pajamas or sweatpants. Rarely do I see people dressed nicely and wearing heels in the grocery store.
Fashion is a great way to express yourself. So many people seem to hold back because they’re afraid of what others might think. It’s quite unfortunate. Everyone needs to let go and stop worrying. Just wear what you like, no matter what anyone thinks.
I think it’s extremely important to put thought into the way you dress. You never know who you are going to meet. You could meet a potential employer and that person might decide not to hire you because you’re out and about wearing sweatpants, looking like a hot mess. It’s always better to look presentable.
Thanks for posting this! I was born and raised in a lesser to none stylish city (where people think Hollister and Aero are preppy fashionable) and nobody really goes against the grain.
I love dressing up for anything and everything, because it makes me feel pretty and confident.
This post is absolutely fabulous! I adore dressing up, I love wearing high waisted skirts, ruffles tops, blazers, dresses, studs, fabulous boots, cute coats e.t.c. Even on my worst days I vow not to wear sweats to school. I’ve had some extremely rude comments and things like “Where’s SHE going all dressed up like THAT?!” “Oh, got a funeral or a wedding after this?” in snipy voices. But when I wear those clothes I KNOW I look good, and when I see people giving me looks as if they want my clothes it feels good. I wish all my friends would read this post! People came up to me an complimented me on what I was wearing, it just feels good. I remember I wore these fabulous pair of brown leather boots to class one day and all day I got compliments the entire day. 😛 During the morning announcements my teacher kept flicking her eyes to me and when it was over she looked at me and said I looked really good 😛 Where everyone thinks t-shirts, hoodies and sweats are what makes you ‘cool’ it’s awesome to be different, and this post really gave me a boost of confidence!
Luinae – I understand exactly how you feel!
I totally agree. I love the feeling of being my fabulous self.