The Demise of Dressing Well

When I got married, my husband laughed when I mentioned I had never owned a t-shirt. No really, I wore my first t-shirt at 28. My very stylish mother banned them...and I never argued why. She believed a shirt with a collar that was ironed screamed "I'm here" vs. "What's up?" Today I see t-shirts ad nausea. I am so tired of t-shirts being the comfortable go to at restaurants, vacations, cruise ships...with everything and anything splattered on them...and that's only one part of today's dressing dilemma. 

According to Businessweek Magazine, things have gone downhill over time. “In the past decade those seemingly harmless polo shirts and khakis have spawned a five-day sartorial office free-for-all that's led to low-cut jeans and 'tramp stamp' tattoos.”

I apologize to anyone who may think this is offensive but when it comes to fashion, people's interpretation of 'casual' and 'appropriate' differs immensely. And I mean immensely. Sure, people love Casual Friday offerings of jeans and flat shoes but others use it as an excuse to exercise self-expression. And the latter as I've personally witnessed is quite a disaster. Flip flops as I grew up seeing...were only seen on the beach - not the boardroom. Tank tops at a Fortune 500? Please! Sleeveless tops to address world news? I don't want to see a man's underarms on an HDTV screen, why a woman's?! And don't get me started on cropped pants on women - we were ridiculed as kids as those being called "floods" for a reason.
Regrettably, society has gone so far past the style spectrum, I'm not sure we can reel them back. Some people simply don't have the desire to dress well in a way that is self-respecting. There's too many walking around that really need a pink slip from the fashion police. I miss policies, dress policies that is. And if you are as old as I am, you'll remember what I mean. Just watch an episode of Mary Tyler Moore or the Dick Van Dyke Show - now that's class. It's why Mad Men has such a following - refined dressing at its best.

It's hard to talk seriously with someone about your bank account when you're the one wearing real shoes and an actual outfit and they are in a sleeveless dress and flip flops. What's wrong with this picture? And I wince at how many teachers must either stub their toe or get stomped on in their fancy sandals.
I must take a moment to thank the men of the world. Thankfully, they are not strutting around in t-shirts, flip flops, cropped anything or sleeveless muscle shirts at work. In fact, history proves that the news has always been delivered by men in suits, women, ah yeah, not so. 

Clothes have a beautiful language of their own. They communicate who we are and how we want to be respected. Why else do movie stars pay ten of thousands of dollars for top stylists to dress them or even organize their wardrobe? They need to be dressed in a certain way to send out a certain message - to their fans, the media and directors who could send them potential jobs and scripts. Gwen Stefani was once asked how she always looks good. "I dress knowing I'll be seen so I make that extra effort." A simple philosophy that too many could easily apply with five extra minutes in the morning. 

Sure, freedom in fashion and freedom of expression do go hand in hand, but kindly express what you will at the mere knowledge that all of us get to see you. And impressions in dressing well go a really long way...