Why You Should Be Done With Dressing Down

My grandmother used to tell me that instead of the latest trends, I should always buy clothes that made me look “dressed.” Now, as a teenager in the late ’80s, early ’90s, this advice fell on deaf ears as I mowed through the purchases of neon lace anklet socks, hair scrunchies, acid wash denim, and topped it all with a Members Only jacket. #WOW

At 15-16-17 years old, this avid Vogue reader firmly believed that being fashionable meant breaking my grandmother’s boring style rules. It wasn’t until I was starting my first business in my 20’s that I understood by “looking dressed,” she didn’t just mean “not be naked.”

For many of the last seasons, appearing dressy has been a faux pas… Athleisure and athluxury are running the show. Looking like you didn’t care was the new dressed. Knotted jacket sleeves around waists. Handbags crammed under arms. Jeans shredded to almost nonexistence.

While this rise of “sloppy wear, don’t care” garb probably had something to do with our frenetically busy lives, does dressing down make you look like you have IMPORTANT things to do? Or, is the irony that looking sloppy is actually very studied and time-consuming?

For me (maybe because I’m petite), when I try so hard to look “undone,” I only end up looking like a messy child who failed tragically at dressing herself. So, here’s the truth… I do care.

I like to iron my shirts. I love an overcoat that fits my frame. The truth is my personality is consistently the opposite of relaxed. I own yoga pants and workout gear, yes, but I only wear them to work out.

All I ever buy is outfits for occasions… Dramatic dresses, colorful high heels, printed silk blouses, and statement earrings for the meetings I only have once or twice a week at most. Even though I’m in fashion and love to share my knowledge, I really don’t have that many occasions in my life. Why not make LIFE the occasion is what I say!

Why would I want to look messy? Life is messy enough. Shouldn’t fashion be our armor for all the situations when we need extra confidence, spunk, and swagger? After all, I might not always be put together, but I definitely want to look like it. 😉

Don’t you? Let me know in the Comments box below!