DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION

  DRESSING FOR  THE           OCCASION

We often hear “the way you dress is the  way you’ll be addressed”

But the problem is that sometimes, you are actually dressed well and look good, but you're still not properly dressed.

The word proper is defined in the oxford English dictionary as  “of required or correct type or form: suitable or appropriate.”

Lets play with a few scenarios

1. Imagine you waking up on a Saturday morning, waking your children up and telling them that you're taking them to the park or that you’re taking them out for ice cream, then you wear this really nice tailored suit with a pair of Italian leather shoes. You bet, you’ll look really nice and expensive. But you can also be sure that you’ll look awkward or even like a snub.

2. Imagine wearing your new customized original lakers jersey or Nike three piece gym wear to a black tie event. They are no doubt expensive and of good quality, but people are more likely to go for the guy in the cheap suit.

3. Imagine, as a lady  being invited to a pep rally or a walk for a cause  and then you show up wearing a nice cocktail dress and matching stiletto sandals. 

4. Imagine being invited to a costume party and you show up with a top, jeans and sneakers. Who are you dressing as? A random guy on the street? 

At this juncture, we can all agree that it's possible for outfits to be  well put together but not approprpriate  for the certain occasions or settings or environments.

So, the big question is- How can one ensure that they are properly dressed? 

 Follow these simple guidelines and you will save yourself some trouble

1. Follow the rules: This is the simplest of all.  If you happen to work in an organization or you happen to be in a place where the guidelines for dressing are clearly stipulated at the entrance or have been reiterated over time, it’s daft for you to not stick to the rules.  

2. Ask questions:  If you’ve never been to a certain event before and you’re invited, ask the organisers what such events entail and how people have dressd for such in the past. Or you can simply ask others who have attended in the past. 

3. Do your research:  This involves working with the little information you have about a particular event or place.  Get information about that event or place. There are certain corporate organisations that will never let you in without covered shoes.  There are certain events that require a little extra than you are used to. The point here is to make use of the internet.  “how to dress for a garden cocktail” “how to dress for a child's birthday party” “how to dress for a job interview” .  Research.. research..research..

4. Read your invitation card or gate pass properly:  I remember being invited to attend a prestigious awards night dinner. I immediately started planning my outfit. I was going to put on a nice gold sequin dinner gown with a thigh high slit and matching sandals.  I didn’t bother to check my invitation card when I got it. What saved me was that the organizer mentioned that he was looking forward to see how I'll put my “fashionably African”attire together. Ehh!!!

  

I know for a fact that I may never have checked the invitation card until the day of the dinner and oh what a shock that would have been.  The dress code was sitting right in the corner of the invtitation, but I was too concerned about the VIP status that I didn't see the important  things. I learned something new that day and I think it's important that you do too. 

5. Learn about the basic rules of dressing below. 

• All black tie events mean that you must appear in a formal dinner wear. That’s a nice evening gown or  a well tailored suit or tuxedo. 

• Going for picnics or to the park or simply going for a casual dayout with friends doesn’t require a serious get up. A simple dress , a pair of jeans, tee shirts, sweatshirts ,  flat shoes and sandals, sneakers are just fine. It’s okay to be laid back sometimes.

• You really should not wear shoes to the beach. It always best  to have a pair of flip flops. A pair of shorts or a short dress would also suffice better.

           

• Costume parties require that you actually wear a costume.

• Dressing for a wedding should be festive or you can keep it clean and classy. Just don’t go looking drab or over dramactic. Find the balance.

• White collar organisations are particular about being corporately dressed.

• Rally and awareness walks usually require casual and comfortable outfits. 

• Of course, you must wear sports or gym wear for any sporting or physical exercise. 

• Business dinners and dinner dates are formal and require formal dinner wear.  A date to the movies however requires something less formal.

• Heavy accessories should not be worn in corporate environments. 

The easiest way however to get out of a fix when it comes to styling yourself in the appropriate  manner is to have an image consultant or a fashion stylist. 

I hope you have gained a little clarity on the difference between dressing well and dressing appropriately. 

If you have any comments or questions, kindly leave them in the comments section.